“I guess you just have to realize that most of the internet coaches never coached anyone at my level or never played,” said Coco Gauff after her defeat at the Australian Open this year. The American is well aware of her strengths and weaknesses, and defeats don’t really dent her confidence much. In October 2024, she hired a new coach, Matt Daly, after parting ways with Brad Gilbert for a fresh perspective. The 21-year-old is even working with a grip specialist to work on her forehand and service. Whatever you say about Gauff, she is laser-focused on improving! So what keeps her going? Let’s find out how she deals with the setbacks that are customary to any sport, including tennis.

This new 2025 season has been a rollercoaster for Gauff, and we’re only in March. She started the year strong at the United Cup, helping Team USA clinch the title with a commanding win over world number two Iga Świątek. And she carried that momentum into the Australian Open, where she was one of the favorites. But her run ended in the quarterfinals as Paula Badosa broke her 11-match winning streak. However, then came the rough patch. The World number 3 suffered a surprising second-round exit at the Qatar Open, losing to Marta Kostyuk, and the following week, she was knocked out in the second round again, this time by McCartney Kessler in Dubai. Back-to-back losses are never easy, but Gauff is already showing signs of bouncing back.

The 21-year-old starlet kicked off her Indian Wells campaign with a gritty win over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. It wasn’t pretty—she committed 21 double faults and 74 unforced errors—but she found a way to survive, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). Gauff didn’t sugarcoat her performance, calling it “D tennis.” In the next round, she faced Maria Sakkari, the player who had ended her run in the semifinals at Indian Wells last year. This time, Gauff turned the tables, winning 7-6, 6-2. She closed out the match on her sixth match point with a forehand winner, showing clear improvement from her previous outing. So, how does she keep improving after losses?

Gauff addressed that in her post-match press conference. “Yeah. I mean, I guess it depends how you lose. If you feel like you have had a focus on the process of what you are working on, for me, if I feel like I did the things that we were working on in practice and the opponent was just better, then it’s, like, okay that was a step forward. But, yeah, I mean, obviously never feels great losing, so I guess it’s harder for me to find the positives in the loss. I have been trying to do more of that lately,” she said.

And that’s not all! Coco Gauff isn’t just finding positives—she’s actively turning weaknesses into strengths. How, you ask?

Coco Gauff reveals how her rivals feel “trapped” by her weakness

It’s no secret that Coco Gauff’s Achilles heel is her forehand. In her Australian Open quarterfinal against Badosa, she racked up 28 unforced forehand errors. Against Kessler in Dubai, 34 of her 42 unforced errors came from that wing. Her opponents have taken notice and have started targeting her forehand in key moments.

Gauff, however, isn’t buying into the narrative that her forehand is a liability. In a press conference after her win against Moyuka Uchijima, she said, “Yeah, I mean, obviously that’s the game plan against me.” But she pushed back on the idea that it’s a weakness. “I think people just don’t feel comfortable necessarily just putting a ball there. If I get a neutral ball, especially on that end of the court. On these courts, I try to be aggressive with it.” Her aggression is paying off. Uchijima, for one, admitted to feeling “trapped” during rallies against Gauff’s forehand. When Gauff heard that, she couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad to kind of hear my opponent felt trapped on that (smiling).”

The American tennis sensation has now reached the Round of 16 at Indian Wells for the third straight year, making her the first American to do so since Venus Williams (2017-2019). She’s also the youngest to accomplish the feat since Serena Williams (1999-2001). And if history is any indication, she’s in good company—Serena was the last American to win Indian Wells, way back in 2001, before Gauff was even born!

First, she will have to get past her next opponent, Belinda Bencic. The Swiss tennis player is an opponent she has beaten twice before. Their most recent meeting? The Round of 16 at this year’s Australian Open, where the World number 3 came out on top. Coco Gauff’s season has already seen highs and lows, but she’s proving that she learns from every match. Can she finally bring the Indian Wells trophy home? What do you think?