Dispelling the myth! Second seed, Coco Gauff defended lower-ranked players by stating, “Seed is just a number” after her recent defeat to Emma Navarro (ranked 17) in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. This Grand Slam is the only one where the 20-year-old American tennis star has failed to reach the last eight, marking her third exit at this stage of the tournament. As the world number 2, she was the hope of millions of American tennis fans at Wimbledon. With several top seeds already having exited the tournament, did these factors add extra pressure on her?

“Not really! Because I’ve seen and played so many slams where anybody can win. And the seed is just a number,” Gauff said in the post-match press conference. She clarified that being seeded only means avoiding another seed in the first round -“It doesn’t mean you can’t lose. We’ve seen how a lot of seeds drop out. We’ve seen defending champions drop out. It means nothing.” Gauff thought her draw was tricky, as the players, though not widely known, were still talented.

She added, “I think that’s something that people… fans of the game are a little bit disrespectful when it comes to other players on tour. Maybe the ranking isn’t there. But the level is there. And they’re here for a reason. They deserve their spot.“Gauff emphasized that there are no easy draws in tennis, as everyone competes to win. She finds it disrespectful to think, “Yeah this girl is ranked whatever and she’s this age… I should be able to win.”

Coco Gauff revealed that she approaches every match with a “competitive mindset” regardless of rankings or opponents. This season, ahead of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, Gauff confessed that she is one of those players who does not look at the rankings at all. “For me personally, ranking has never been like a thing for me. I just never look. Even if I did look, I wouldn’t care,” she said. For her, it’s “more about titles” than ranking.

However, Gauff’s opponent’s incredible tennis in the previous competition left her seeking help from her box. What did both players say about the match?

Coco Gauff feels her game plan didn’t work at all in that match against Emma Navarro

Previously, Chris Evert stated that the winner between Gauff and Navarro would become the favorite to win the title. Emma Navarro might have taken those words to heart, as she has now reached her first quarterfinal in a major tournament. After the match, Coco Gauff admitted, “We had a game plan going in. I felt that it wasn’t working. I don’t always ask for advice on the box. Today was one of those rare moments where I felt I didn’t have solutions.” She took full responsibility for the disappointing result.

On the other hand, ecstatic Emma Navarro knew it would never be easy to play against Coco Gauff. She said, “Coco’s obviously a really amazing player, I have a ton of respect for her and what she’s done at such a young age is really amazing. And I knew she wasn’t going to make it easy on me tonight, but I wanted to play aggressively and push back against her game and I think I was able to do that.”

The match saw several changes in tempo. Seeing Gauff frustrated and looking to her box for help boosted Navarro’s confidence. She gained energy and capitalized on the momentum to win the all-American duel.