While tennis fans obsess over every match, point, and ranking movement, Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff have found something just as valuable as victories: knowing when to step away. The two recently opened up on how they spent their brief time away from the sport amid hectic schedules.
While Gauff returned to action at the National Bank Open in Canada, Sinner has made his comeback at the ongoing Cincinnati Open: his first since a momentous win at Wimbledon.
How Do Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff Recharge Between Tournaments?
After a heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final, Sinner roared back at Wimbledon, defeating his Spanish rival in four high-quality sets to claim his first All-England Club title. Following his breakthrough victory, the Italian made a deliberate choice to take a break instead of competing at the Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto.
Talking to Tennis Channel during the Cincinnati Open, Sinner said, “When I was a bit younger, a couple of years ago, I never wanted to take the racket away. Now, every time when I have a small chance, I put it away.”
The Championships 2025 belong to Jannik Sinner #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/h4nUCnBY6N
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2025
The World No. 1 went on to explain the philosophy behind his new approach to rest, “Because then I even have more love for the sport, for the game. And also appreciation to come back and feel good again.I love this sport, I love to make sacrifices also, and I also love the people I have around,” Sinner stressed.
The strategy appears to be working. After a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Daniel Elahi Galán in his first match, Sinner looked refreshed and ready, and is now set to face No. 30 seed Gabriel Diallo for passage to the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff takes a different approach to her downtime. The World No. 2 returned to action at the National Bank Open in Canada, but her break between tournaments reveals something equally telling about elite athletics.
During an interview on Tennis Channel, Gauff was asked whether time away from tennis made her more eager to get back and put in the “hard yards” that she does. “My break was like, I was practicing still 4-5 hours a day,” replied the American. “So I was still practicing, but I guess the time away from tournaments, yeah, definitely.”
Following her return from Europe at the end of the grass swing, the American has been focusing on rediscovering herself both as a player and as a person.
“I think it (the break), for me, was about rediscovering my game and also like, yourself,” Gauff told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj.
“Being an American, being in Europe for a while, you’re used to hotel-courts, and it’s hard to find time to do things on your own,” she added. “That’s the biggest part, I’ve learned on tour is that it’s important to get out, so I force myself to do stuff.”
The most amusing part of Gauff’s routine? She enjoys exploring cities completely on her own, something that apparently catches people’s attention.
“Some people see me in the city by myself all the time, and they’re always like, ‘Are you just out here in the wild?’ I don’t know whether to take that as a threat or not next time,” the American said, laughing.
She urged fans, “If you see me out, just say ‘hey.’”
MORE: Coco Gauff Discloses Concern on Cincinnati Open’s Overlap With Canadian Open
Gauff clinched her second Grand Slam at this year’s French Open, with a thrilling win over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. However, she has struggled with form since Roland-Garros and crashed out in the first round at Wimbledon.
At the recently concluded Canadian Open, she was defeated by eventual champion Victoria Mboko. Following this, the American bounced back at the Cincinnati Open, defeating China’s Wang Xinyu in the first round to set up a clash against Dayana Yastremska.
