Gauff: I don't need to be praised because of my age

Coco Gauff gets it. The 19-year-old American understands why tennis fans and pundits alike have a thing for a fresh face.

But she’s not quite sure with the level of age fixation that has surrounded her, ever since she stormed onto the scene as a 15-year-old and found her place on an age-related page of Wimbledon’s history books. 

If you're scoring at home, Gauff was the youngest player to reach the second week at Wimbledon in 28 years at the time, since 1991. It was the biggest story of the fortnight in 2019, made even more remarkable by the fact that Gauff did it at an age where most players aren't even ready to play the juniors yet.

But age isn't always the right prism to view the sport through, says Gauff.

Asked by a reporter if she thought that the media focuses on her age too often, the world No.6 was quick to reply. 

“I'm gonna be honest: Yes,” she said.

Gauff, who has generated an ungodly amount of age-related milestones ever since she hit the tour, is a wise-beyond-her-years type of teenager who doesn’t get caught up in the hype that surrounds her. 

“Age is important to mention sometimes,” she says. “But as a player and going through it, yes, it gets a little bit annoying.” 

The subject was front and centre on Friday in Paris after the American had dispatched the youngest player still remaining in the draw, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva. 

Asked if she would view her third-round match with the talented qualifier differently because of her opponents’ age, she said: “I don't see age as a factor, to be honest. You have to play her as you would play any other person that's grown and strong. Obviously she's proved her position here, and I'm going to try to do my best against her.”

Andreeva was also asked by reporters how she felt about the press focusing on her age. 

“People can write and can say what they want, so I'm not really into it,” the world No.143 said. “I just stay with the right people around me, and I don't really think about it. So they can write whatever they want – I don't really care.” 

Gauff will face Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the round of 16 at Roland-Garros on Monday. Making her 15th career appearance at a Grand Slam, the sixth-seeded Floridian has won 13 of her last 15 matches on the Parisian clay, dating back to 2021. 

Rather than be judged as a teenager for those stats, Gauff just wants to be judged like everybody else on the tour..

“I feel like I'm the type of person, I don't need to be praised because of my age or anything,” she said. “I prefer just to be praised because of my game, not because of things I'm doing at whatever age.”