Coco Gauff aims to rebound from Olympic disappointment at the Canadian Open. The American player is going to leave no stone unturned as she prepares to fight her R1 opponent, Wang Yafan, for the first time on-court. But the Chinese player, with her unyielding spirit, is not ready to give up so soon. But before we watch their maiden battle, let’s dive into the world of Yafan who has been breathing tennis since the age of 9!

Born in 1994, in Nanjing, China, Yafan had her goals straight in mind: to become a tennis player! She took the first step at age 9 when she began practicing the sport and refining her game. But it took her only a short time to make a name for herself in the junior circuit. It deepened her desire to take the sport as her profession, which she did in 2012. It was a steady climb to the higher ranks after that. In 2014, the now 30-year-old player made her WTA Tour debut, but it took her four more years to break through the top 100 ranks. But with her indomitable spirit, Gauff’s R1 opponent did it skillfully by entering the Miami Open as a qualifier and reaching the fourth round at the event.

Yafan boasts a versatile game with a mix of powerful groundstrokes and a clever display of skills at the net. Moreover, the 16 singles and seven doubles winner at the ITF circuit, Yafan, made her precise volleys, especially on hard courts, her weapon to move forward in her career. In 2019, success finally came her way! She bagged her first WTA Tour singles title at the Mexican Open by defeating Sofia Kenin in the finals. It was a tightly fought match, but Yafan somehow managed to revert back after being down a set and facing a break. Naturally, it propelled her to her career’s best ranking, No. 49 (March 2019). 

It gave her more confidence to take her revenge at the Miami Open, but once again, she could not pass the barrier of the fourth round at the event. After not playing much in 2020 (due to COVID restrictions), in 2021 she came back on tour and reached R1 at Wimbledon but later discontinued her journey due to COVID travel restrictions. Yafan, who loves music and traveling when she is away from tennis, came back to her form once again last year after playing a few matches in the ITF circuit in 2022. 

Leaving all the adversity aside, the six-time title winner of the Challenger Tour brought with her a renewed confidence and zeal to perform better. Yafan easily reached the U.S. Open main draw and made a comeback in the top 100 ranking! Unfortunately, she struggled with her appendicitis surgery, which compelled her to stay out of the Asian season in 2023. But Yafan, a lover of cats, did not lose her morale and again made a massive comeback this year! 

In a stunning display of skills, the three-doubles WTA title winner made it to the third round at the Australian Open and climbed higher in the rankings (top 80)! Now, she is at the Canadian Open, intending to bring her ‘A’ game to Toronto. It is fair to say that Yafan’s hard work is finally starting to pay off. However, in 2018, Yafan confessed how difficult it was to come to terms with the process of “overcoming difficulties.”

Yafan talks about her “goals” in tennis and the challenges that come along with them

The three years leading up to her Miami Open breakthrough in 2018 were tough for Yafan. In 2017, she only managed to make it to the top 200. But it all changed at the Miami Open, where she reached the fourth round. Although she lost to Angelique Kerber in the end, Yafan had learned a lot of life lessons by then. Speaking about it in an interview, she said, “The goal I set for myself is not the same as it is with material comforts and money.”

Furthermore, she added, “The process of hard work and overcoming difficulties to ultimately reach the goal brings great satisfaction and self-realization! In addition, there is a lot of uncertainties in the sport of tennis….I love challenges and I hate the feeling of losing…So I always tell myself that in the court I must be ready at all times, be firm in my own convictions, steadily move toward the set goals, and bravely confront every challenge.”  

Wang Yafan is carving her own path to success. As she rises to prominence in the tennis world, let’s hope we see her achieving her goals soon!