In the relentless whirlwind of professional tennis, where the calendar feels like a treadmill set to sprint, Coco Gauff has peeled back the curtain on a truth that hits harder than a 120-mph serve. As the Miami Open looms on March 21, 2025, the 21-year-old American star, ranked No. 3 in the world, took a rare moment to breathe before her home crowd at Hard Rock Stadium. With the ink barely dry on a grueling start to her season—five tournaments already under her belt since January—she didn’t mince words about the sport she’s conquered and the toll it exacts. “Tennis is like a crazy sport,” she confessed, her voice carrying the weight of a champion who’s learned that even victory leaves little room for reflection. “You really never have time to reflect because when you win, you’re already going to the next tournament.”
Gauff’s 2025 has been a marathon of jet lag and racquet strings, kicking off with the United Cup in Australia, followed by a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open, a Middle East swing through Qatar and Dubai, and a fourth-round exit at Indian Wells just days ago. Last year was no less brutal—19 tournaments, 71 matches, a 76% win rate, and three titles, including the WTA Finals. “It’s great to be back here,” she said of Miami, her tone softening with the comfort of home turf. “I love this tournament, home tournament.” Yet, beneath that affection lies a stark reality: the relentless pace leaves no space to savor the highs or dissect the lows. Her shaky start this year—three straight losses after the United Cup, falling to Paula Badosa in Melbourne, Marta Kostyuk in Qatar, and McCartney Kessler in Dubai—hasn’t dimmed her fire, but it’s fueled a candid reckoning. “I’m obviously not happy with those past results,” she admitted, “but it’s one of those things that, in the history of my career, I’ve had ups and downs.”
The Miami Open, where she’s never cracked the fourth round despite a 6-5 record, offers a fresh shot at redemption. Gauff’s first hurdle is a familiar face: Sofia Kenin, the former Australian Open champ she bested in Melbourne this year, tying their head-to-head at 2-2. Playing on home soil, with the South Florida crowd roaring behind her, could tip the scales. “I know if I feel fresh, if I’m physically ready, healthy, I’m playing my game,” she’s said before, a mantra that’s carried her to nine WTA singles titles, including the 2023 US Open—her first Grand Slam—and the 2024 WTA Finals. That resilience shone at Indian Wells, where she battled to the round of 16 before Belinda Bencic, the Abu Dhabi champ, halted her run. Now, with Kenin in her sights, Gauff’s banking on that home-court edge to flip the script.
But it’s the grind itself that Gauff laid bare—a sport that demands you pack your bags before the trophy’s even cool. At 21, she’s already a veteran of this chaos, her journey from Delray Beach to global stardom a testament to her grit. She debuted at the Miami Open in 2019 at just 15, stunning Venus Williams at Wimbledon that same year to become the youngest qualifier in the tournament’s history. Since then, she’s piled up accolades—world No. 2 in singles, No. 1 in doubles, nine doubles titles, including the 2024 French Open with Jessica Pegula. Yet, the pace is unrelenting. “When you win, you’re already going to the next tournament,” she repeated, a refrain that echoes the exhaustion lurking beneath her success. It’s a stark contrast to team sports, where off-seasons offer a breather—tennis, she’s learned, is a solo sprint with no finish line in sight.
Her peers feel it too. The WTA’s top ranks—Sabalenka, Swiatek, Rybakina—juggle the same brutal calendar, but Gauff’s honesty strips away the glamour. She’s not just playing for titles; she’s navigating a machine that churns through players like clay through a grinder. Miami, starting Friday, is her eighth event of the year, and it’s only March. “I’ve had ups and downs,” she reflected, a nod to a career that’s soared to a US Open crown at 19 yet stumbled this season with no titles since last June. Fans see the stats—15-6 in 2025—but Gauff feels the weight: every loss a lesson, every win a fleeting high before the next flight.
As she steps onto the court against Kenin, the stakes are personal. Miami’s her turf, her family in the stands, her roots in Delray Beach just up the coast. She’s got the tools—those ferocious groundstrokes, that unshakable focus—but the “crazy sport” she loves tests more than skill. It’s about endurance, about finding joy in a grind that offers no pause. “I always believe in myself,” she’s said, a quiet defiance that’s carried her this far. Whether she breaks her Miami curse or not, Gauff’s truth rings loud: tennis is a beast, and she’s still taming it, one relentless rally at a time.
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