American tennis star Coco Gauff revealed an unconventional source of motivation after her win over the no. 2 world Iga Swiatek at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabiao. Gauff, who snapped a four-match losing streak against Swiatek with a straight-sets 6-3, 6-4 victory, attributed his success in part to “pettiness” — a reaction to doubters who predicted him loss before the match.

After his second career win over Swiatek, Gauff talked about her mindset entering the game. While discussing the balance between the joy and pressure of competing at a high level, she said the comments on social media fueled her competitive spirit.

“I think for me, honestly … pettiness,” Gauff said, as reported by Ayush Vashistha of tennismajors.com. “Yes, I think that is the answer. I like to say I’m right and stuff.”

Gauff noted that before the match, she received several comments suggesting she would lose to Swiatek, a player who has historically dominated their head-to-head matches, winning 10 of their previous 12 meetings.

“I got a lot of comments about how I was going to lose badly (to Swiatek) today. So I said, ‘Okay, we’ll see!'” Gauff said. Her answer was clear on the court, where she let her racquet “do the talking”, ultimately securing her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals.

Coco Gauff’s first win over Swiatek in over a year

The beat Swiatekher first since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, marked Gauff’s first straight-set win against the Polish player, despite her struggles with her serve, reflected by 11 double faults in the match. The win not only secured Gauff a spot in the semifinals, but also prevented Swiatek from moving up the rankings, confirming Arya Sabalenka’s year-end No. 1 position.

For Gauff, who quickly rose through the tennis ranks, managing external expectations was a learning curve. She said she learned to reinterpret pressure from fans and critics.

“Before, I used it as pressure,” she said. “The expectations are always going to be there for me, and I kind of turned it into, ‘People expect so much of you, that means people see the potential in you, so you should see the potential in you.’ “

Her win moved it to 2-0 in the Orange Group at the WTA Finals, according to the Associated Press, while Swiatek’s record fell to 1-1. Swiatek had previously beaten Barbora Krejcikova in three sets but struggled with Gauff, who capitalized on key moments to claim victory.