Coco Gauff relies on meditation and young fans for French Open success

NEW DELHI: Coco Gauff, ranked third in the world, is banking on meditation and the enthusiastic support of a group of young boys to propel her to success at the French Open. She secured her spot in the last 16 at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year with a commanding straight sets victory over Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.Despite a challenging match marked by errors, the US Open champion managed to outplay her opponent 6-2, 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier.Next up, the 20-year-old American will take on unseeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy in her quest for a spot in the quarter-finals.Though facing tough competition and aiming to meet Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, Gauff finds solace in meditation techniques, which she believes provide a valuable perspective on her title aspirations."Sometimes I like to lay on the ground and just meditate, whether it's for literally a minute or two or 10 or 15," she said."I think it helps to keep you grounded because sometimes in these tournaments the pressure can feel like a lot and I think sometimes you just lay on the ground, and you just think that there's billions of people on this earth and billions of people don't even know who you are."So the matches aren't as big as they feel sometimes."Since her explosive debut at Wimbledon in 2019 as a 15-year-old qualifier, where she stunned former champion Venus Williams en route to the fourth round, Gauff has consistently delighted crowds.In Paris, she's garnered the spotlight, particularly from a group of young boys who faithfully attend her matches on Court Suzanne Lenglen."There was a group of boys, all under the age of 12, and they were just cheering super loudly. I actually enjoyed that," said Gauff. "And they were respectful to my opponent, which I like when it's like that."(Inputs from AFP)