PARIS — Coco Gauff is following Carlos Alcaraz’s philosophy to chase her dream at Roland Garros: ‘enjoy life more’ — and smile, a lot.
“I really think Carlitos has a great philosophy, and it’s something I’m trying to follow,” she said after reaching the French Open semifinals.
“I try to follow his example. I’ve told him that I’m trying to have fun on court the way he does, to smile like he does. It inspires me. To enjoy life more in general — and I feel like you play better that way,” she told reporters in Paris.
Gauff hasn’t watched Alcaraz’s Netflix documentary series yet, but she doesn’t need it to understand how her colleague thinks and lives. For the Spaniard, good times — parties, drinks, relaxed moments with friends by the Mediterranean — are essential to clear his head before locking in on big goals.
That slice of everyday in the life of a normal guy in their twenties is something the 2023 US Open champion also craves.
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“Doing more ‘normal’ things is something I need as well, and I’ve been trying to do that more often,” she said. Gauff is chasing her second Grand Slam title in Paris. To reach her first French Open final, the 21-year-old will have to get past the tournament’s biggest surprise: Frenchwoman Loïs Boisson.
“I don’t think I’ll ever smile as much as Carlos… I tend to be more serious on court, but I try to remind myself this is just a game, and I should treat it that way,” she admitted.
“I feel like so much in my life I was so locked in and of course, it’s good to be locked in. In juniors it was a bit easier — we’d play a tournament, then go home for three weeks, then another one, and back home again. On tour, it’s the complete opposite,” explained the world No. 2.
Still, there’s not much that’s truly “normal” about Gauff’s life. At just 15, she reached the Wimbledon fourth round after defeating Venus Williams in her Grand Slam debut.
But she does find moments to disconnect from tennis and enjoy the perks of stardom — like attending the Oscars or doing high-end Vogue photo shoots.
Then, she resets and locks back in on the big trophies.
