In a gritty display at the Italian Open, Coco Gauff battled through an off day to secure a straight-sets victory over Tereza Valentova, 6-3, 6-4. The American star wasn't at her sharpest, drawing some heat for her reaction to a double fault in the opening set. But as champions do, she found a way to grind out the win and move into the third round.
What turned the tide? A mindset shift inspired by none other than Rafael Nadal. After the match, Gauff revealed how one of the Spaniard's iconic quotes has reshaped her approach to the game. "Obviously it would be great to have a deep run, to have some momentum before Roland Garros," she said. "But every tournament is new, and you know the Rafa quote: what happened in Madrid, happened in Madrid, and we are in Rome, and then we will be in Paris. I think I live by that quote because you can have an alright season; tennis is funny. All it takes is one good week and your season can go from bad to good."
For those who need a refresher, Nadal coined this mantra during a rocky clay-court stretch. When pressed about his form, he famously retorted: "What happened in Monte Carlo happened, what happened in Barcelona happened, and what happened in Madrid happened, and here we are. We are in Rome." That year, he didn't lose another match on clay, sweeping both the Italian Open and French Open titles. Talk about a mindset reset.
Gauff's own journey in Rome mirrors this philosophy. Analyst Broady noted, "It's something that Coco Gauff does often. She can start off tournaments pretty rusty, but as she gets going and builds momentum, she can be very dangerous to stop. She'll be breathing a sigh of relief tonight; that could have got very sticky at times." Valentova, a talented player, may rue missing her chances in the second set, but Gauff's resilience carried the day.
Even Gauff admitted it wasn't her finest hour, but she's taking the win—and the lesson—in stride. As she looks ahead to Roland Garros, this Rafa-inspired perspective could be the gear she needs to shift from good to great. After all, in tennis and in life, it's not how you start; it's how you finish.