Most top athletes live within a common paradox, where they tell you they are constantly seeking perfection, all the while realising perfection doesn’t exist.

Chasing that unattainable degree of flawlessness is what makes them great, but it can also mean that falling short can feel like a massive disappointment.

Coco Gauff is no different.

The American star has put together an incredible career so far and at 21 years old is already a Grand Slam champion, a WTA Finals winner, and a former top-two player in the world.

Coming into the Mutua Madrid Open this week, Gauff has been searching for her A-game, which has deserted her at times this season.

The Floridian started 2025 with a 9-0 run, guiding Team USA to the United Cup title before reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals. She arrives at the Caja Magica with a 14-6 win-loss record for the season though, meaning she has won just five matches in three months.  

When you’re a perfectionist, such results can be a tough pill to swallow. Gauff however, is managing it well so far.

“I’m definitely someone who strives for perfection. And it’s something that I’ve been working on,” the fourth-seeded Gauff told reporters in the Spanish capital on Tuesday.

“And I think perfectionism is something that makes me good, but can also be a bit of a bad thing, too.

“So I think it’s just finding the balance and knowing that this is a long season, a long sport. And you’re not going to win every tournament. And I am someone that goes in believing that I can. So it is sometimes a letdown when I don’t. So I just try to take the positives from the losses, which is something I’ve been working on lately.”

Gauff kicked off her clay-court swing in Stuttgart last week, where she fell to Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals. She could already feel her form is picking up and is keen to get her tournament started in Madrid, where she opens against British qualifier Francesca Jones or Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in round two.

“I felt like in Stuttgart, even though it was a tough match, I felt it was a big improvement since Miami,” said Gauff, who enjoys playing on clay and is a former Roland-Garros runner-up.

“I wanted to play Stuttgart just to get some matches, so I’m feeling pretty confident going into here. This tournament, I haven’t done super well here, but I feel like it’s always a learning experience and it sets me up to do well in Rome and it sets me up to do well in Paris, so I’m just banking on that.”

This is Gauff’s fifth appearance in Madrid, with her best results coming in 2022 and 2024, where she reached the round of 16.

A valuable lesson from last season is helping the American keep things in perspective when it comes to her recent results. Gauff had a difficult summer in 2024. She was unable to defend her titles in Cincinnati and the US Open and couldn’t win a medal at the Olympics. She rebounded remarkably though by storming to the China Open title in Beijing and clinching the year-end WTA Finals in Riyadh.

“I always thought I was that type of person that needed matches to bring confidence. And then a lot of my results just came out of nowhere with maybe not as many matches doing well,” Gauff reflected.

“So, I started to believe that you can just turn it around any week. And just as quickly as you can go on a tear, you can also lose.

“So, I think it’s just one of those things that is just treating each tournament with a new perspective and a new mindset.”

That fresh mindset will no doubt come in handy as Gauff attempts to navigate a tricky Madrid draw, which might see her take on seventh-seeded Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals, and could potentially pit her against defending champion Iga Swiatek, Stuttgart winner Jelena Ostapenko, or Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the semi-finals.