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.
I feel so fortunate and grateful to be a survivor of breast cancer. I see it as a gift.
Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.
to that piece in each of us that refuses to be silent.
People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.
At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn't want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.
You don't really conquer a mountain, you conquer yourself. You overcome sickness & everything else - your pains, aches, fears - to reach the summit.
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