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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 1, 2019

Cori Gauff

Wimbledon, London, England

C. GAUFF/V. Williams

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I was wondering, before you were born, Venus won four of her seven Grand Slam titles. How crazy is it now that you've beaten her?
CORI GAUFF: I mean, obviously I'm super shocked. But I'm just super blessed that Wimbledon decided to give me the wild card. I mean, I never expected this to happen.

Obviously I literally got my dream draw, so I'm just super happy I was able to pull it out today. She played amazing, was just super nice. She's always been nice the couple times I met her.

Q. I saw in your Instagram Live that you said your favorite meme is Anna Oop. What was your reaction when you saw the draw? Did you Oop?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, I did. Actually all my friends were texting me, they were like Anna Oop. That was the reaction I got.

But like I said before, I kind of knew it was coming, but still, you know, you're still shocked when you play your hero first round.

Q. I know you knew her a bit already. When you're on the court against her, playing against the shots, are you having trouble realizing it's actually happening?
CORI GAUFF: To me, I just treated it like another match. When I first stepped out on court, I had my music on. Obviously the crowd was so loud when we walked on the court. I could still hear them, but the music definitely helped calm me down. I was just really shocked.

I saw the stadium yesterday, but it was completely empty. I mean, it looks so much bigger when there's people actually inside.

Q. I understand you might have taken a science test recently.
CORI GAUFF: Yes.

Q. How do you think you did on that? On the test today, what grade would you give yourself?
CORI GAUFF: On my science test, I got a B. Today I'd give myself an A (smiling). Hopefully my next test I can get an A, but you never know.

Q. Are you a tough grader?
CORI GAUFF: Uhm, actually yeah. My dad is definitely the toughest, though.

Q. What did you say to Venus at the net? You seemed to be almost apologetic.
CORI GAUFF: I wasn't apologizing. I was just telling her thank you for everything she's done for the sport. She's been an inspiration for many people. I was just really telling her thank you.

I met her before, but I didn't really have the guts to say anything. I mean, now or never.

Q. Serena said you remind her of Venus in the way that you play. Do you feel that yourself?
CORI GAUFF: Oh, yeah, I definitely get compared to Venus a lot. Our body shape is kind of the same. We're both tall. We obviously play similar.

But when I'm on the court, I just feel like me.

Q. Obviously Venus and Serena inspired you. Who else inspired you growing up?
CORI GAUFF: Roger Federer definitely inspired me. When I lost first round Australian Open juniors, I talked to him. Gave me kind of a pep talk. The next tournament was French Open juniors, and I ended up winning it, so I guess it helped.

Off-court heroes of mine, definitely Rihanna, Beyonce, I really look up to them as well.

Q. For fans just getting introduced to you, how would you describe yourself?
CORI GAUFF: I'm definitely really goofy off the court. I'm always cracking jokes.

I was practicing, people were taking pictures of me. Actually quite a few people. I was actually, like, smiling. The pros who have been here for a long time, they're serious. But I can't just help laugh because it's weird for people to take pictures of me and not smile.

Q. As a player, how would you describe yourself?
CORI GAUFF: Definitely aggressive. I take what I want. I like to hit my serves. Today I would just say I was pretty calm.

Q. When is the last time you cried at anything, including winning a tennis match?
CORI GAUFF: Well, this was the last time I cried. But before then, oh, actually the movie 'End Game' when Ironman died, I was crying. Every time I think of it, I get teary-eyed because I really liked Ironman.

Q. You just said previously when you met Venus, you didn't have the guts to talk to her. How did you get the guts to beat her in Wimbledon today?
CORI GAUFF: On the court, I was not thinking about Venus. I was just playing my game. No matter who I play against, I want to win. So that's what I was just thinking about the whole time. I wasn't really thinking about who I was facing on the other side of the net.

Q. Speaking about guts. When Venus had a breakpoint in the 5-All game, you had a 108-mile-per-hour serve. Do you remember that? Do you typically go that big on a second serve?
CORI GAUFF: I didn't try to go, you know, 108. I definitely went for it. I remember because I was like, I mean, she is known for coming up big in the moments. A couple times I was kind of, like, I guess hitting it a little bit slower because I was a little bit nervous and I didn't want to miss. She was hitting winners. I was like, I got to hit my serve. It's either now or never.

Q. At the end were you composing yourself or were you saying a prayer in front of your chair?
CORI GAUFF: At the end I was saying a prayer. I was just really thanking God for all this. Before every match, since I was eight, my dad and I say a prayer together. We don't really pray about victory, just that me and my opponent stay safe. After the match, I was just thanking God for this opportunity.

Q. Four match points. Did you ever think, especially with an opportunity for her to break back, that it was going to go away, or did you think it was going to be yours?
CORI GAUFF: I knew it was going to be mine, no matter what. That's why I just kind of hit my serves pretty hard. I knew obviously after I was up 40-15, she hit -- I don't remember. I remember I challenged. The match is like a blur right now. But I do remember I was up 40-15. She won two points, then went down. There was just so much drama going on.

I just was like, Stay calm. I wasn't really saying, This is the one. It's like get my first one in, get the ball in the court, we'll see what happens from there.

Q. What music were you listening to?
CORI GAUFF: Before the match I was listening to 'Icon' by Jaden, 'Humble' by Kendrick Lamar. When I walked on the court, I was listening to 'Rice Street' by Miss Mulatto. She's a new upcoming female rapper.

Q. Do you prefer Cori or Coco?
CORI GAUFF: I prefer to be called Coco. Actually on the court they were saying Cori. Like, in the middle of the match I think random things. And I was just like, I hope my dad doesn't think they're cheering for him. He likes to say every time they call me Corey, they're cheering for him. I was like, Okay.

Q. I want to know if you were never more nervous than usual. When you were up a break in the second set, you made two double-faults. What were you thinking? Were you trembling a little bit or what?
CORI GAUFF: I wasn't really nervous. I double-faulted two times in a row before in many matches. I wasn't nervous. I was just going for my serve.

Like I said, I just came in the match and let's see what happens. I'm playing against one of the greatest players of all time. You never know what to expect from them.

I was just like, Get the serve in the court next time.

Q. If you didn't expect to win that match, you won it, do you have to reassess what you're capable of now at this tournament?
CORI GAUFF: I wouldn't say I didn't expect to win the match. I knew that I was going to go out there and play the way I play. I wasn't surprised that I won. I mean, I was just overwhelmed at the end. Never played on a court that big, the crowd was really wild. I was just surprised that people were cheering me on.

Coming into the match, Venus was the favorite. Actually when I got on the court, people were literally like, one person would say, Let's go, Cori. The other one would say, Let's go, Venus. They were having a cheering war. I was surprised how many people came out to support me.

Q. This is going to be huge news around the world. A lot more expectation on you as a result of this. How ready are you for that? How will you cope with that kind of expectation?
CORI GAUFF: I mean, this is just a tournament. I've played a lot of tournaments. Obviously this one is a little bit different. But I'm just right now relaxing, then focus on the next round tomorrow.

Q. In your own mind, how far do you feel you can go in the sport of tennis?
CORI GAUFF: I said this before: I want to be the greatest. My dad told me that I could do this when I was eight. Obviously you never believe it. I'm still, like, not 100% confident. But, like, you have to just say things. You never know what happens.

If I went into this match saying, Let's see how many games I can get against her, then I most definitely would not have won. My goal was to play my best. My dream was to win. That's what happened.

I think people just kind of limit themselves too much. Once you actually get your goal, then it's like what do you do now. I like to shoot really high. So that way I always have many goals along the road, but that way you have the ultimate goal.

Q. What did Venus say to you after the match? How far do you think you can go in this tournament?
CORI GAUFF: I think she said, Congratulations and good luck, that she was super proud of me. At the end, I said -- I was just telling her thank you for everything she's done. She and her sister have been, like, heroes for me and many other little girls out there. I was just thanking her. She said thank you for saying that to her.

Q. How far do you think you can go in this tournament?
CORI GAUFF: My goal is to win it.

Q. You said Venus and you have similar playing styles. What challenge do you face when you went on court? Can you have a strategy in mind to counter your own version of yourself?
CORI GAUFF: I didn't really, like, have a strategy on how to play her. My, just, goal was to stay calm and composed. I really believe when I do that, I can do anything. I like to figure things out on the court.

But for me, my parents just always tell me, If you play your game, you can beat anyone. Obviously it helps to have a little bit of intel before the match. But I don't like to over-strategize anything. I kind of just like to go out and play.

Q. Random one. Could you tell me what the thing is in your family with names beginning with C?
CORI GAUFF: So my parents, I guess they got married, so they both realized they had actually had the same initials. My dad's name is Corey Darnell Mathias Gauff (phonetic), my mom's name is Candi Dionne Gauff, so they are both CDG. They named me Cori because they wanted their first child to be named Cori. If I was a boy, it would be spelled like my dad. I have my mom's middle name, my brothers have my dad's. I guess they wanted to keep the trend going.

Q. You discussed belief before, your father saying to you when you were eight what he anticipated in your future. When did the belief begin for you that what your father said could actually turn true for you?
CORI GAUFF: Actually I think the belief -- I would say it first started when I was eight at Little Mo, I won my first international tournament. It was a pretty big deal for me.

After that, I guess it kind of like not stopped but kind of lessened. Then I think it picked up again French Open juniors because I feel like between, like, when I was 10 to 14, I was just kind of putting too much, way too much pressure on myself. That was kind of affecting how I was playing.

Now I just literally don't play with any pressure. I'm just enjoying it. I think that's what made the difference between last year and this year.

Q. How do you do that?
CORI GAUFF: I just tell myself whatever happens happens. Everything happens for a reason. I mean, like my motto is just like wing it. I've said that before. Like I said, this is kind of a sad thing, we're all going to die one day, I just want to make the most of it. I don't want to put too much pressure on the little moments because those are the moments that kind of turn out big when you look back in life.

Q. What has your phone been like since you won?
CORI GAUFF: Oh, my God, my phone has been banging. My grandma called me. My brother, he called me. He said his chest is out, he's going to brag to all his friends. He texted me, Happy 40K followers because I gained some followers after the match. All my friends are texting me. I'm going to be up all night trying to respond to everybody.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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