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Coco Gauff has revealed that she suffered a panic attack during her second-round victory at the US Open.
The 21-year-old began crying on court after being broken by Donna Vekic for 4-4, then looked tearful again as she left the court after the first set.
Speaking to Sky Sports after her third-round win against Magdalena Frech, Gauff was asked about those tears.
‘It was a panic attack,’ said the world No. 3. ‘I’ve had them before off court but it was the first time that happened to me on the court.
‘I was just trying to calm myself down and just breathe in the moment and that was why I went to the bathroom after that first set to reset.
‘I think for me I needed that to happen because the support that I got afterwards, I just realised how much people love me. How much I should love myself, too, in those moments. It was a learning experience and I’ll remember it for the rest of my career.’
Coco Gauff burst into tears during her US Open victory over Donna Vekic on Thursday night
Gauff was overcome with emotion after consecutive double faults in the second-round match
Gauff broke down in tears again during her post-match interview on the court in New York
After the win over Vekic, Gauff spent some time with fellow American icon Simone Biles, who had been on Arthur Ashe for the match. Gauff said lessons learned from the chat helped her to victory over Frech - by far her best performance of the week.
‘We got to speak for like 15 minute,’ said Gauff. ‘She was giving me a lot of advice and really just telling me to go out there and enjoy it, be calm in the moments and reminding myself to fuel my tank.
‘I used that (against Frech), I was like a sponge trying to absorb whatever she said. I met her at the Olympics but we just didn’t have the right moment to really speak about the depths of being an athlete.
‘She’s someone that deals with pressure at the highest stage of any athlete. So, I was really lucky to have that conversation with her and it’s definitely something I’m going to use for the rest of my time here and career in general.’
Gauff’s victory over Frech helped set up the most anticipated clash of the US Open so far: against two-time champion Naomi Osaka.
The Japanese superstar has reached the fourth round here for the first time since giving birth to daughter Shai in 2023.
