Coco Gauff explains why being American No. 1 means "absolutely nothing" to her

World No. 3 Coco Gauff is set to celebrate her 21st birthday on Thursday, March 13. As she steps into this new chapter, she opens up about her ambitions for the year - winning more Grand Slams and securing the prestigious World No. 1 ranking.

However, just a day before her birthday, the American faced a heartbreaking defeat on home soil. She lost to Belinda Bencic in a gripping three-set battle at Indian Wells. While she won the first set convincingly with a score of 6-3, the Swiss turned the game around with her tactical brilliance.

Before booking her spot in the last 16, Gauff overcame Maria Sakkari and Moyuka Uchijima in previous rounds. The American was coming from a horror swing at the Middle East, facing back-to-back early exits at Doha and Dubai, but she had somehow turned the tide at the tennis paradise. She will take the positives from here and head towards the next part of the Double Sunshine, Miami Open, which begins on March 18.

In an interview with Roland Garros, Gauff reacted to people praising her for being the highest-ranked American in world tennis, but her goal is something else.

“Honestly, it never meant anything to me. I just feel like all the people say it online. And for me, it really means absolutely nothing. I don't like to look at it. I don't care. The reason it means nothing is because of the goal, obviously, is to be number one, period,” she stated.

The youngster’s aim is not to be just America’s No. 1, rather she wants to be the World's No. 1. Discussing more on claiming the No. 1, she gave another perspective as well.

“I've never been a rankings girl. Really, I want to just win Grand Slams. My dad always said, ‘the number, the ranking will come with the Slams’. So I think for me, I'm looking more at winning Slams. And if I win a Slam this year and don't become number one, I will be satisfied. I’ll be more satisfied than if I became number one and didn't win a Slam,” Coco Gauff further added.

Gauff’s career-best ranking has been World No. 2.

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“I have a lot of unfinished business” - Coco Gauff sets her eyes on winning the French Open this year

Coco Gauff at a press conference at the 2024 French Open - Source: Getty

The 2023 US Open champion, Coco Gauff got her first big breakthrough at the 2021 French Open where she reached the quarterfinals. The following year, she made it to her first-ever Grand Slam final at 18.

She had lost to four-time Roland Garros champion, Iga Swiatek in the 2022 French Open final. Swiatek has defeated Gauff on the Parisian courts on multiple occasions but the American aims to change that this time.

“I do think I am a good player on clay. And I know that if I want to win that tournament, I have to probably beat her (Iga Swiatek), most likely,” Coco Gauff remarked in the same interview.

Their head-to-head record stands at 3-11 in favor of the Pole. Meanwhile, all three wins of Gauff have come on the hardcourts.

“So that would be a goal to win this tournament just because I did make the final. So I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business there. And yeah, she's definitely the number one person to beat when it comes to playing at Roland-Garros,” she added.

Gauff has set her eyes on the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, which begins on May 25. She hopes to lift the silverware in Paris and win her second Grand Slam title.