A return to a Wimbledon main draw will always appear filled with glittering possibilities for American teenager Coco Gauff.
As a 15-year-old qualifier, Gauff burst into the world tennis spotlight when she upset five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round of The Championships in 2019.
The inspired run in her debut Grand Slam ended in the fourth round to eventual champion Simona Halep – a result that the talented teenager replicated in exiting to Angelique Kerber, who lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2018, at the same stage last year.
The positives are even more pronounced as Gauff arrives at Wimbledon as a Grand Slam finalist, having achieved that milestone in both singles and doubles at Roland-Garros earlier this month.
“(There’s) definitely a lot of positives to take from it, that I can play two weeks of high, competitive tennis in two events,” said Gauff, who finished runner-up to world No.1 Iga Swiatek in her maiden Grand Slam singles final.
“I would have never thought I would have made the final of both events.
“I learned a lot from that final. I’m going to take what I learned to here. Hopefully I go far.
“But it was definitely the experience of a lifetime, and hopefully I can recreate it.”
In many ways, Gauff will do so as a different player from the one who made such spectacular progress in her Wimbledon debut.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed than when I was considered the sensation or whatever,” she said.
“I mean, I did well, wasn’t expecting to, but it felt like everybody wanted the results to happen now, now, now.
“I feel like I learned so much not to put pressure on now, now, now.
“This time around, even though I’m considered a favourite, I don’t feel like it as much as I did when I was 15 or even 16.
“I felt like I was a little bit delusional in my head about how much people wanted me to win, whereas now I feel like if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Gauff takes a relaxed reassurance from her more recent success, in which she followed her breakthrough on Parisian clay with a semi-final run on the grass courts of Berlin.
“I definitely feel like I’m coming into it with a lot more confidence and, also, I’m not really... we’ll see on matchday.
“But leading up to it, I’m not as anxious or anything about it as I thought I would be, just because coming after when people are expecting you to continue to do well.
“Really, I feel like I’m in a good mindset. I’m pretty relaxed. I’m enjoying London and enjoying just being here.
“Hopefully that mindset can stay.”
Other factors add to that positive state of mind.
Gauff is especially delighted to see Serena Williams, her childhood idol who inspired her start in tennis, return to The Championships after a year-long absence from the sport.
“Obviously she’s someone that I look up to,” Gauff said. “It’s quite incredible really that she’s still playing at the highest level.
“I think whenever she’s in a tournament, she’s always a contender to win even if she hadn’t played for a year.
“Yeah, I’m excited to see her play.”
A return to the environment she experienced in her first campaign at the All England Club also adds to the feelgood factor for Gauff.
“It feels great to be back at Wimbledon with full fans, no bubble, back how I remember it,” she beamed.
“I’m super excited to kick things off here.”
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