What I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.
Coco GauffRead
Everyone asks me how I stay calm on court and I think it's because I accepted who I am after overcoming low points in my life.
Interpretation
Embracing oneβs true self helps maintain composure during challenges.
Coco Gauff's quote reflects the importance of self-acceptance and resilience. By acknowledging and overcoming personal struggles, one can find a sense of inner peace and calmness, especially in high-pressure situations like sports. This self-awareness fosters confidence and enables individuals to handle adversity with grace.
In practice
During motivational talks for athletes discussing mental health.
What I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.
The amount of people - and kids especially - that come up to me saying I inspire them is honestly better than any match I could win, just to know that I inspire another kid maybe to pick up a racquet or go through something they're facing at school.
There's so many people going through so many, like, uncomfortable situations. For me to be - I mean, obviously being nervous is natural - but for me to think that winning a tennis match or losing a tennis match is the end of the world, I think just kind of shows what kind of privilege I have.
Throughout my life, I was always the youngest to do things, which added hype that I didn't want. It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast.
It's important for us to know that our worth isn't defined by how well we do in our sport.
If you are choosing silence, you're choosing the side of the oppressor.
It was more dangerous not to go; I was running the risk of becoming trapped in my own fantasies. So I was doing the right thing by going. She would behave normally, I would behave normally, and everything would be normal again.
I wished I died in that attack with my cousin, with my south Vietnamese soldiers. I wish I died at that time so I won't suffer like that anymore... it was so hard for me to carry all that burden with that hatred, with that anger and bitterness.
I grew up with a deep belief that wherever our troops fought, they were on the side of the angels.
it is only courage on the path itself that makes the path appear
Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.
Violence ravaged my life. I was a victim of hatred, and I have dedicated my life to reversing that hatred.
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