Coco Gauff revealed the role therapy and manifestation played in maintaining her positive mindset during challenging times, which she attributed to her remarkable 2025 French Open win over Aryna Sabalenka on June 7 in Paris. The young American’s mental strength was evident as she battled and ultimately surpassed the World No. 1 with a score of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
Throughout the match, Gauff remained composed despite shifting weather conditions and intense pressure. Her calm and focused demeanor during the final two sets helped her take control and secure the victory. This mental approach, supported by both therapy and manifestation techniques, proved crucial in a high-stakes game at Roland Garros.
Transforming negative thoughts through therapy and mental practice
In an interview with NBC News Now, Gauff explained how therapy has enabled her to turn negative or self-doubting thoughts into positive affirmations, improving her mindset for crucial matches. Instead of ignoring or suppressing doubts, she learned to redirect them productively.
“I would get a lot of self-doubt, negative thoughts and, at first I would just try to not think it. And then actually, you know, I go to therapy and my therapist is like instead of, you know, not trying to avoid those thoughts, redirect them into a more positive direction,” Gauff said.
This practice has helped Gauff manage the fear of losing by flipping her perspective to focus on potential success rather than failure.
“So instead of being like, ‘Oh, what if I lose? And what if it feels like when I lose?’ think about, ‘Oh, what if I win?’ or ‘I will win and I can do this.’ So I just try to redirect those thoughts into a positive direction instead of trying to completely ignore them,” Coco Gauff added.
Drawing motivation from Tyler, the Creator’s lyrics
During her trophy acceptance speech, Gauff expressed admiration for American musician Tyler, the Creator and cited his influence on her mindset. She referenced a lyric from his song “St. Chroma,” featured on his album Chromakopia, as embodying her mindset going into and through the final match.
“I’m gonna quote Tyler, The Creator right here. He said, ‘If I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying.’ I’d like to leave that with you guys. I think I was lying to myself and I definitely could do it. Shout out to Tyler.”
Next challenges on the horizon for Gauff
Following her second major championship, Coco Gauff is poised to maintain her strong momentum as she prepares for the upcoming 2025 Wimbledon tournament, commencing on June 30. Her combination of mental resilience, therapy techniques, and inspirational influences will likely remain key factors in her ongoing success on the tennis circuit.