Ibu bapa Coco Gauff meredakan kebimbangan mengenai kesihatan mental pemain sensasi remaja itu setelah dia membangkitkan soal bergelut dengan kemurungan.

Gauff semakin terkenal selepas mara ke pusingan keempat Wimbledon dalam penampilan sulungnya di pentas Grand Slam tahun lalu ketika baru berusia 15 tahun.

Pemain Amerika Syarikat (AS) itu memenangi gelaran perseorangan WTA pertamanya di Linz musim lalu termasuk melangkah ke pusingan keempat Terbuka Australia, tiga bulan lalu.

Gauff di program 'Behind the Racquet' mendedahkan dia berasa adalah sukar untuk menggalas harapan yang begitu tinggi pada usia muda dan telah mempertimbangkan untuk berehat selama setahun dalam sukan itu.

Pemain nombor 52 dunia itu mengatakan bahawa dia "benar-benar tertekan" selama kira-kira setahun tetapi bapanya memberitahu New York Times pemain tersebut tidak menderita kemurungan.

Repost from @behindtheracquet • “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. Once I let that all go, I started to have the results I wanted. Right before Wimbledon, going back to around 2017/18, I was struggling to figure out if this was really what I wanted. I always had the results so that wasn’t the issue, I just found myself not enjoying what I loved. I realized I needed to start playing for myself and not other people. For about a year I was really depressed. That was the toughest year for me so far. Even though I had, it felt like there weren’t many friends there for me. When you are in that dark mindset you don’t look on the bright side of things too often, which is the hardest part. I don’t think it had much to do with tennis, maybe just about juggling it all. I knew that I wanted to play tennis but didn’t know how I wanted to go about it. It went so far that I was thinking about possibly taking a year off to just focus on life. Choosing not to obviously was the right choice but I was close to not going in that direction. I was just lost. I was confused and overthinking if this was what I wanted or what others did. It took many moments sitting, thinking and crying. I came out of it stronger and knowing myself better than ever. 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. Now, when I’m on court, I am just really thankful to be out there. Personally for me, I like playing for more than myself. One of the biggest things is to continue breaking barriers. At the same time I don’t like being compared to Serena or Venus. First, I am not at their level yet. I always feel like it’s not fair to the Williams sisters to be compared to someone who is just coming up. It just doesn’t feel right yet, I still look at them as my idols. With all their accolades I shouldn’t be put in the same group yet. Of course I hope to get to where they are but they are the two women that set the pathway for myself, which is why I can never be them.” @cocogauff Go to behindtheracquet.com for extended

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Corey Gauff yang dianggap salah seorang jurulatih ajaib berkata: "Ini adalah satu perkara yang membimbangkan (dengan menyatakannya dalam keadaan tertekan), dan saya tahu itu akan perhatian utama.

"Dia tidak pernah mengalami kemurungan secara klinikal, tidak pernah didiagnosis dengan kemurungan, tidak pernah merujuk dengan sesiapa pun tentang kemurungan ini."

Tambahnya: "Dia tidak perlu mengambil sebarang ubat-ubatan. Ini adalah tekanan peribadi yang mereka wujudkan kepada diri mereka sendiri serta bagaimana mereka akan menghadapinya dan bagaimana mereka akan menempuhi zaman kedewasaan."

Candi Gauff percaya kekalahan anak perempuannya itu kepada lawan yang lebih tua dalam saingan remaja mungkin menjadi penyebabnya.

Dia berkata: "Ia menyebabkannya berasa terasing dalam kejohanan sehingga menimbulkan kesedihan, jadi ada masanya dia tidak bahagia.

"Saya tidak mahu menyebut perkataan 'cemburu' tetapi itu adalah satu semangat yang cenderung kepada 'mengapa gadis muda ini menang?' Jadi dia berasa terasing."

Candi juga berpendapat Coco mungkin berasakan dia telah kehilangan sesuatu apabila melihat apa yang kebanyakan remaja lakukan di media sosial memandangkan dia hanya belajar di rumahnya sejak gred ketiga.

Menurutnya: "Dia melihat remaja lain menyiarkan gambar mereka menghadiri majlis di sekolah menengah dan ia membuatkannya tertanya-tanya bagaimana kehidupannya jika dia tidak bermain tenis."