"If you want to win, say you have to win 8 matches instead of 7" - Coco Gauff divulges her brother Codey's advice on how to tackle Grand Slams

Coco Gauff has stated that her brother Codey's advice helped her win her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.

At the 2022 French Open, Gauff reached her first Major final without dropping a set. However, she stumbled in the final hurdle, losing in straight sets to World No.1 Iga Swiatek.

More than a year later, the American youngster went the distance at the US Open when she came from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and clinch her maiden Slam.

At a press conference in Melbourne, Gauff has now disclosed that she managed to triumph in New York after following her brother Codey's advice.

"Codey told me, 'Pretend that you have to win three sets instead of two.' If you put your mindset into the extra mile, then it seems easier I guess in a way. He would say, 'Okay, if you want to win the Grand Slam, say you have to win eight matches instead of seven.' It's like changing your mindset so it feels further," she said.

"He said that to me maybe a year ago. It always stuck with me because I think at the French Open I felt like it was so close, and I just got so tight. At the US Open, it just felt so far away from the very first point of the match, literally until the match point was over," Gauff added.

Gauff, the first American teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title this century, explained that tricking the mind relaxes the body in tense situations.

"I think tricking your mind kind of relaxes the body because your mind controls your body. You have to trick your mind a little bit. Obviously you know what's real, but you have to trick it a little bit," she explained.

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Coco Gauff defeats Alycia Parks, reaches 2024 Australian Open 4R

Coco Gauff in action at the 2024 Australian Open.

On Friday, January 19, Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Alycia Parks to reach the fourth round of the 2024 Australian Open.

With her 61-minute 6-0, 6-2 win, Gauff became just the fifth teenager since 2000 to win 10 consecutive matches at Grand Slams. Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, and Iga Swiatek are the others who have achieved this feat.

Gauff now holds an 8-0 win-loss record this year. She is also on a 10-match winning streak at Majors, dating back to her title run at the US Open last year. Next up for the 19-year-old is a clash with Poland's Magdalena Frech, with the winner progressing to the quarterfinals.