Coco Gauff has been under plenty of scrutiny since she burst onto the scene in 20219 but perhaps not at any other time more than the summer of 2024.

Coco Gauff faced a packed schedule this season, competing in prestigious tournaments such as the French Open, Wimbledon, the Olympic Games, and the US Open. As one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title, there were high hopes for her performance, especially after being named Team USA’s co-flag bearer alongside LeBron James at the Olympics.

Fans were eager to see the 20-year-old defend her title at Flushing Meadows, but Gauff struggled to find her best form during these major events. It wasn’t until the China Open that she discovered her rhythm again. Following her success in Beijing, she had a heartfelt message for her supporters, signaling her return to top form and reigniting excitement for her future matches.

What did Coco Gauff urge tennis fans to do after winning the China Open?

Fans and members of the media alike were cornered about Gauff after her poor results over the summer saw her fall from number three to number six in the WTA Tour rankings.

The criticism and doubt in her game continued, until Gauff silenced her detractors by winning the China Open on Sunday.

Following this win, Gauff mentioned a WNBA star that she took inspiration from during her difficult moments and encouraged fans to be more respectful of the ups and downs of a tennis player.

“People don’t realise people have great moments in sports and bad moments. It doesn’t mean anything,” Gauff told the WTA website. “I took inspiration from A’ja Wilson. Back to back champions.

“People wanted them to three-peat. She’s kind of like, ‘It’s hard to stay winning all the time.’ You need to go through losses to realise what you need to do to evolve. Tennis fans need to be more accepting of that.”

Can Coco Gauff win the Wuhan Open for the first time?

Gauff went on to win the China Open despite playing down her chances of success.

Her comments were similar after winning her first match in Wuhan, three days after winning in Beijing.

“I have zero expectations for this tournament honestly, just trying to get through each match,” the World number four said. “It’s been a long couple of weeks but I’m happy to get through today and we’ll see how the rest of the tournament goes.”

Gauff will need to play some solid in the next round as Marta Kostyuk will be standing across the net. The Ukrainian reached the fourth round having not played a match since her opening round following a late withdrawal from Amanda Anisimova.