Less than two weeks ago, Coco Gauff became the youngest flagbearer for the USA at the Olympics. And about a week ago, she could’ve become one of the youngest Olympic tennis champions. However, as has become the story of her recent outings, Gauff found herself on the brink of victory, only to be met with heart-wrenching disappointment. And tears. 

But the 20-year-old hasn’t let her heartbreak at the Olympics – at the hands of Donna Vekic in the third round – cast a shadow on the mental aspect of her game, especially in this run-up to the US Open, a title she would wish to defend more than anything else. And that journey starts at the Canadian Open this week.

Entering the WTA 1000 tournament as the No. 1 seed, Coco Gauff was in a presser ahead of the tournament to discuss her expectations. When a journalist asked, “You were at the Olympics last week, and now you’re here. How do you manage that schedule?” Highlighting her indifference, Gauff said, “I have no expectations for this week. I am not going into this expecting to win or anything.” However, considering she’s the No. 1 seed and the draw won’t feature quite a few big names, the American will have a real fighting chance to win a second Masters 1000.

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova withdrew from the WTA 1000 event due to a thigh injury, while Elena Rybakina – who also dropped out of the Olympics – is still recovering from acute bronchitis. Joining them on the list was World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who announced her withdrawal from the tournament following her bronze medal-winning campaign at the Olympics, stating fatigue as the reason. It’s understandable why, especially considering the switch from clay courts in May to grass courts in June and back to clay for the Olympics, all of which happened in the span of two months.

Speaking of the different surfaces, Coco Gauff mentioned in her presser, “Obviously, [winning in Toronto] would be great, and that’s the goal. But if we’re being realistic, I was on clay three days ago, so overall, I’m just trying to use this to see where I’m at and what I need to do to get ready for the US Open.” Having reached the quarterfinals in Toronto in 2023, following that up with a title in the Cincinnati Masters, Coco Gauff set herself perfectly for the US Open. And the preparation reaped its results, seeing as the American won her maiden Grand Slam on home soil.

Coming into the Canadian Open this year, though, the 20-year-old is aware of the effort it may take to emulate the same performance as last year in the lead-up to the final major of 2024, owing to how the Games slotted into the WTA calendar. As for Gauff’s debut at the Olympics, the star player crashed out of contention by Donna Vekic in a match that featured quite a controversial call. 

After going a set down, there was a rally in the second wherein one of Vekic’s shots was called out by the linesperson. However, the chair umpire quickly corrected it, declaring it in. But just after the linesperson called it out, Gauff hit the ball into the net. Considering the chair umpire called it in, though, he awarded the point to the Croatian. Gauff didn’t think that was right because she felt the linesperson’s call affected her return. But the umpire thought otherwise.

This left Coco Gauff shattered, who cried inconsolably on the court. She also lashed out at the organizers and said, “This isn’t fair. I’ve been cheated.” Following her third-round exit, the 20-year-old returned to North American soil. And even though she may not be expecting too much out of herself in Canada, she’s looking forward to the positive vibe at the event.

Gauff is relying on fan support to have a ‘good week’ in Canada

The American has got a challenging draw at the Canadian Open. She will potentially have to get past Diana Shnaider, sixth seed Liudmila Samsonova, and compatriot Jessica Pegula to win this tournament. But amidst this situation, the tennis star is relying on support from fans to add another Masters title to her name.

When questioned about sensing a ‘positive vibe’ from the Canadian fans, the World No.2 – who is celebrating 100 consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 this week – answered positively. “In Toronto, it feels as close as you can get to the US,” Gauff said, expressing her desire to have a happy week at the venue. “The fans, they’re really receptive of me. I got to meet some cool people. So, yeah. I’m excited to hopefully have a good week here.”

As the tournament progresses, it would be interesting to see if Gauff can benefit from her indifference and lack of expectations or make a change. But what remains critical for her is to compete at her best level to defend the US Open.