CoCo Vandeweghe seemingly has no regrets over past on-court outbursts as the former American tennis star reveals she admitted to herself long ago that she could never keep it calm and collected like Roger Federer.
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The 32-year-old, who retired from pro tennis last year, made two Grand Slam semifinals and also reached a career-high ranking of No. 9 during her career. But while the American was once regarded as one of the best in the game, she was also not a stranger to becoming too emotional in certain moments on the court.
Reflecting on it now, Vandeweghe says it was simply who she was and outbursts helped her release the frustration she was feeling when things got rough out there.
"We have our anger moments. We have disappointments because we work so hard to perform in such a small moment in time. And I think I learned more and more that it was okay. I matured not only in my tennis but also within myself, like, 'Okay, I cannot do it the way Roger Federer can.' I am certainly not gonna be John McEnroe out there but I need to have a release. And that was more beneficial, I always thought, than steaming and going for a game because the pros cannot afford that amount of time," the 2017 US Open semifinalist said on Tennis Channel's Inside-In podcast.
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Vandeweghe: Not everyone is the same
The former world No. 9 also mentioned Carlos Alcaraz and brought up how the tennis community was left stunned after the Spaniard - who isn't prone to outbursts - recently smashed a racket.
After making her point clear, Vandeweghe noted that players can try to be a Federer or Alcaraz but that it doesn't mean that it will work.
"Yeah, because not everyone can be an Ice King or Queen out there and just keep it all internal. I think that no two people are alike," the 32-year-old said.
Since retiring from pro tennis, Vandeweghe has been working as a tennis analyst.
