Coco Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, experienced a massive mindset shift ahead of her first round match at the 2024 tournament. What precipitated this change? Like many athletes, social media played a major role. Not only was she experiencing the pressure of defending her title, but she was also facing scrutiny from many people online. Despite this, it was a TikTok comment that helped her reframe her approach to the game and she attributed her mindset to it completely.
After winning her first game at the 2024 U.S. Open, Gauff reported in an interview that a TikTok comment shifted her perspective. “Somebody commented on my TikTok and they were like: ‘You’ve won in life, literally and figuratively, and there’s no point in piling pressure on yourself on a victory lap.’” In the interview, she continued, “If I played this last week I feel like it would be really difficult, but my perspective has changed a lot over seven days. I was just trying to enjoy the match. I enjoyed it today and obviously, it was straightforward, but even if it was tighter these are the moments you live for.”
While Gauff found inspiration this time through social media, many athletes experience a more negative side of online engagement. This can fuel anxiety and ultimately lead to performance issues on the court. Gauff’s ability to take a positive message from TikTok is unique in an environment where many athletes often discount the positive and focus on the negative. Not only is the pressure of an athlete’s sport high, but the constant exposure to social media adds another layer of stress through criticism, unrealistic expectations, and unprompted commentary.
Although Gauff’s experience demonstrates the possibility for social media to offer support, research tells a different story. A recent study examined the association of social media use with sleep quality and performance among collegiate athletes. It found that social media use was associated with both low sleep quality and poor competition performance among college athletes. It was also found that greater time spent on Facebook may hinder competition performance.
For athletes, and anyone in general, the feedback loop of social media can become toxic as it both feeds insecurities and diminishes self-worth. When one’s identity is tied to external validation—whether praise or criticism—it can erode mental well-being. What is the impact? Ultimately, it can result in symptoms of anxiety, burnout, and even depression. Overcoming some of these obstacles, requires athletes to detach from the words of others. It boils down to constructing one’s self-worth and developing confidence from within and not having either of those things positively or negatively impacted by external factors.
To effectively navigate the pressures of social media and ensure it does not directly impact their performance, athletes must craft strategies to protect their mental well-being when engaging online. Oftentimes, athletes choose to work with a mental health professional, such as a Sports Psychiatrist or a Sport and Performance Psychologist, to help them navigate some of the challenges specific to the life of an athlete. Some interventions can include limiting time on social media apps, focusing on internal validation rather than external input, and practicing mindfulness. By having a strong support system offline and establishing clear boundaries around their online presence, athletes can effectively stay grounded and ultimately perform at their best, without being derailed by the negativity that often comes with social media engagement.
A positive takeaway from Gauff’s message is that athletes can learn to harness the potential of social media to inspire and motivate them while working proactively to develop a strong self-worth, defined from within.
