NEW YORK (AFP) — Coco Gauff is embracing the pressure and privilege of defending her US Open title — with the help of elite Olympians and at least one encouraging TikTok commentator.

“Obviously coming in as defending champion is a little bit of pressure, but also more of a privilege, because as my new motto is: If you defend, that means you won something before,” Gauff said Friday at Flushing Meadows, where the final Grand Slam of the season starts on Monday.

Gauff, ranked third in the world, has endured a difficult follow-up season after bagging her first major title here last year.

A semifinalist at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, she was bounced in the fourth round at Wimbledon and endured Olympic disappointment in Paris.

She fell in the third round at Toronto, and crashed out of the first match of her Cincinnati title defense.

But Gauff, with just one title in 2024, said she’d been inspired by athletes she met at the Olympics, including United States’ 200m gold medallist Gabby Thomas.

She said meeting elite athletes from other sports made her realize that “what you’re feeling isn’t so isolated.”

“The nerves, you realize nerves are normal, the pressures are all normal. It doesn’t make them easier but I think it helps you know you’re not carrying the weight alone.”

“I think I just learned that everything I feel, other athletes are feeling it in their sports, and they’re obviously undisputed best at what they’ve done, especially this past Olympics.”

It’s a buoying message in a frustrating season, as was a comment on her TikTok.

“It said, ‘you’ve won literally and figuratively. Why stress yourself out over a victory lap?’ I was, like, that’s actually a good perspective. No one can take that from me so why stress myself over something that I already have.”

“I’m just wanting to add to that, whether it happens here in two weeks or next year here or in Australia or whatever, there’s no point.”

“So I think I saw that comment, like, three days ago, and I was, like, okay, I’m going to stick by that and use that’, because it really changed my perspective coming into this.”