	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

CITI OPEN

July 30, 2019

Cori Gauff

Washington D.C.

Z. DIYAS/C. Gauff

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously disappointment today, but what an incredible weekend in Washington for you. What does it mean to see the fans, how much you've obviously touched them? I'm from Baltimore. They're talking about your doubles win in the Baltimore Sun, which is unprecedented. They've never talked about doubles.
CORI GAUFF: I'm really happy for the support I've gotten here. It was a sad way to finish the singles run, but I'm excited to play doubles. I think we play tomorrow. Hope some people still come out.

I really love D.C. I hope to be back at this tournament in the future.

Q. You've spoken about how much the support here means to you. On that kind of smaller court out there, so many people were yelling every point, are you listening to them or are you kind of trying to focus on your own game in that moment?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, obviously right before the point starts, I'm kind of focused on the point. But I hear them, and I appreciate it. I actually like playing in front of crowds.

It was packed today, so I'm glad that people came out to support me.

Q. What do you have on your schedule for the next few weeks, other tournaments, US Open?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, I'm just going to be training at home until the US Open basically. So, yeah, that's it. Nothing that I know of, no other tournaments. I don't think I have anything coming up.

Q. When a match doesn't go your way like today, what can you take away from it? Obviously you're 15, so all of these can be learning experiences for the future.
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, every loss is something I learn from that. So I learn some of myself. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to my dad. He'll also expand on that.

I think, looking back maybe a few days from now, I think I'll learn a lot. Obviously right now I feel a little bit disappointed.

Q. This is the smallest court you played a singles match on in this month because you played so many big courts. Was that at all tough because it was very jam-packed, a lot of people close to you? Maybe you felt them more than you have before. Lot of people waiting to get in. Felt crowded and maybe intense in a way. A different atmosphere than what you had in your earlier matches.
CORI GAUFF: It didn't really feel like that on the court. I mean, it was packed. It was pretty loud, so it felt like I was on a bigger court than what it appeared to be. I think that helped a lot.

Honestly, the court is the same size, the lines are the same. Whether there is only a couple benches or full-on stands, I think I'm going to play my best tennis at the moment regardless.

Q. Late in the first set, it seemed like there was a long, long game. She finally broke. What were you feeling during that game? Seemed like a big turning point in the match.
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, I think I was up 40-15 that game. She played a couple good points. I made some errors, too, as well. I tried my best to kind of bounce back from that, but I wasn't able to.

I think overall it was a good experience. I hope that next year I can do better.

Q. Just talk about your serve today. You had some double-faults on some big points. And how do you balance the schooling that you're going to be doing coming up obviously with playing so much tennis, all the fanfare that comes along with it?
CORI GAUFF: I think I served well, for the most part. Sometimes I go for my second serves. Sometimes they're aces, sometimes they're not. I guess I know that going in before I serve. I kind of take that chance.

With school, I do online school, so I just bring my schoolwork with me to the tournaments. I think, as well, I do FLVS, which is Florida Virtual, designated home schooling program in Florida. That really works out for me well.

I think I'll stay with that program until I graduate.

Q. I wanted to ask, Hailey Baptiste is making her main draw debut right now. You've been playing with Caty, as well. How much do the three of you or others drive each other? You've gotten a little bit ahead here. As peers, how do you help each other during a unique part in your careers here?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, Caty and I were playing doubles this tournament, so we're rooting for each other. Hailey I've known since I was 12 or 11. I'm super excited. I hope that she wins. I hope the best for her. I mean, my parents and her parents are close. Me and Hailey are close. We talk all the time.

I'm excited that they were able to give her the wild card. I hope that she plays her best tennis tonight. I'm going to be watching after this is over.

Q. Kind of an oddity of the schedule that you played doubles last night against the opponent whom you played singles against this afternoon. Was there anything you think your opponent learned that maybe she took into the match? Anything that helped prepare you from playing her last night?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, I think with today's technology, with tapes and everything, I think we both kind of knew how each other played before then. Obviously playing that match helped both of us.

I think the doubles was fine. I like playing doubles. I think it helped me for my match today. I'm sure it might have helped her. I don't know. I can't answer that question for her.

Overall I think doubles are not -- I think that the result may have been the same because, I mean, I tried my best. But things happen, so you never know.

Q. Talk about the warmness of the crowd here in D.C. and what your expectations are versus what you saw today. Big crowd watching you.
CORI GAUFF: Honestly, I knew that I would get a little more support, but I didn't think it would be as much. After Wimbledon, a couple weeks have gone by, I thought it settled down a little bit. People were excited, but I guess people are still excited. I'm happy for that.

I'm happy I'm given this opportunity to play in front of a big crowd, play in my home country. I hope at US Open I can make a good result there, meet a lot of the new supporters that I have, too.

Q. Going forward to the US Open, what are some of the things you're looking to work on, bring to the US Open to have the best result?
CORI GAUFF: I think going forward to the US Open, I'm just going to work on being more aggressive, pressing myself a little bit more. I think I second guess myself too much on the court. That also comes with playing more matches, too. I think I'm going to try to get some practice matches in before US Open.

Honestly, we'll see what happens from there.

Q. How would you describe what you've been going through with your parents? Are they learning as much as you are going through this big transition?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, I think we're all learning as we go. I mean, literally all of this has changed so quickly. It's hard sometimes.

But I think having this experience, having this opportunity here, definitely is going to prepare me for US Open. I'm glad I was able to get into qualifying here and play three matches.

I learned a lot from this tournament. It's been a great tournament. I'm excited for doubles tomorrow. I hope we do well there, too.

Q. Playing quite a bit of tennis, plus the conditions, were they major factors in the results today? Also, did you have a check-in with the trainer today?
CORI GAUFF: What was the last part?

Q. A check-in with the trainer today.
CORI GAUFF: Me? No, I didn't have a trainer on court today.

To answer the conditions, they're very similar to where I live in Florida. I don't think it was too much of a factor because I'm used to it, so yeah.

Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297