The curtain draws to a close, the noise and excitement of the crowd fades away, and the pundits’ shift their focus. This is the usual aftermath of any sports event. But what remains unchanged over time is the sorrow and grief of the athletes who, despite being favorites, fail to achieve big. Yet, what’s an athlete without resilience? The true stars are those who make peace with heartbreak and find the determination to come back stronger. And the American tennis sensation Coco Gauff is doing just that.

The 20-year-old is not letting the Paris Olympics disappointment get the best of her ahead of the hard-court swing. Her dreams were dashed despite being one of the favorites for the gold, Gauff marked a tearful and furious exit from the Olympic games. But now, she looks more determined and zealous about making a stronger comeback in the next Olympic games. 

Taking to her Instagram on Monday, Gauff shared several pictures of her debut run at the Olympics. She can be seen being joined by several other athletes from Team USA, as she savors every single moment of the Olympic experience. Captioning the image, she wrote, “experience of a lifetime #1stolympics.” But what caught the attention of the fans and hinted at Gauff’s resilience was her Instagram story that followed.

Sharing the same post on her Instagram story, Gauff expressed her desire to shine brightly in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “1st Olympics in the books ❤️ see you in 28 ✨,” the reigning US Open champion wrote. And this determination is crucial for Gauff, given the difficult exit she witnessed this Summer.

The young American was playing the third round of her maiden Olympics against Donna Vekic. As she was trailing in the match, a shot by Vekic in the second set was called out by the line umpire. Coco perceived that she won the point and hit the ball out herself. But the chair umpire stepped in to declare that the shot was played inside the line.

While ideally, the point should have been played again, the Croat was awarded the point. This left 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.”

Focusing on her current campaign, Gauff is prepared for the American hard courts as she looks to participate in the Toronto Open in Canada. But as the American star focuses on winning big at the US Open yet again, will she once again be under the pressure of anticipation?

When Gauff revealed the daunting challenge that arises from victory

Gauff has established herself as a formidable power on the tennis circuits lately. The 20-year-old has achieved what many star players could not at such a young age, including lifting the US Open title at just 19 years of age. But, with immense success comes immense anticipation, and Gauff has often found herself being suppressed by the pressure. 

In an interview with Forbes in July, Gauff revealed the challenges that follow after victories and the stress of anticipation that players need to deal with. “All of a sudden, you just have so much attention on you. So it is something that I have learned but I will say that it is hard at times, I guess dealing with it all.” She remains determined irrespective of the negativities that emerge from such anticipations. “Obviously, I always try to be a better person but you don’t want to let the negativity consume you because you can’t please everybody.”

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if the American star player can continue her determined momentum and repeat the 2023 US Open saga.