Wrapped up in the moment, it is always hard to see the bigger picture. And Gauff is only 15 – most 15-year-olds have no idea what a bigger picture actually is.
But when she gets home and the dust settles, maybe her parents, Corey and Candi, will realise that losing to Halep was probably the best thing that could have happened to her. Had Coco gone on to the quarter-finals, or further, the hype and hoopla surrounding the new superstar would have reached fever pitch.
Sooner rather than later
Mr and Mrs Gauff have been very careful and very clever with the way they have guided their daughter. They do not want her catapulted into the spotlight before she is ready, before she is old enough to cope with the pressure that brings.
What they could not have legislated for was her stunning run through the first three rounds in SW19, but now that it is over, it is time to go back to the old routines and build for the future. And Halep believes that that future could come sooner rather than later.