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US OPEN

August 27, 2019

Cori Gauff

New York, NY, USA

C. GAUFF/A. Potapova

3-6, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What did that feel like?
CORI GAUFF: I mean, it was crazy. Obviously I was nervous going out on the court. It's such a big court. Then my home slam, so I wanted to do well.

The crowd really helped me the whole match. Like, it was really a great atmosphere to play in and a great experience for me.

Q. After the medical timeout, you went out, where did you go within yourself to not lose your focus?
CORI GAUFF: Honestly, I just wanted to win so bad, I was trying to really dig deep. I was like, You got to make her play. She's not going to hand it to you.

We had a couple long rallies, then I got some winners here and there. Honestly, I mean, I really don't remember the match too well because everything is still a blur. But I do remember I think that 4-All game, it was just like a lot of battling.

Q. How did this atmosphere compare to your first match at Wimbledon?
CORI GAUFF: It was different because at Wimbledon my first match, I mean, people were still rooting for me, but obviously there was, like, a lot of people rooting for Venus, where this match it was entirely for me.

I think this is my first match where people actually had a chant for me, so that was pretty cool.

Q. How much did the nervousness affect you in the first set?
CORI GAUFF: It affected me a little bit, but I think that's just normal. This is my first main draw US Open, I'm playing on Louis Armstrong, second biggest court. After the first set, I was kind of like I have to reset, stop thinking about what would happen after the match, just think about what I need to do to win the second set.

Q. When Naomi was in here earlier, she spoke about speaking with you, some of the similarities with headphones, et cetera. What recollection do you have of talking with her? What do you make of what she's accomplished?
CORI GAUFF: Yeah, I first met Naomi, I think I hit with her at the Miami Open maybe three years ago. Our dads always knew each other. When I talked to her, we do have similarities. I remember I was complimenting her headphones because I saw she designed it. Like, these are pretty cool.

I think she's doing amazing, obviously. Hopefully I can get to her level. I mean, she's amazing. She's a nice person. I mean, I can't even, like, say anything bad about her, her family, because they've always been super nice, even since I was 12.

Q. If you were to play her, what do you think that would be like?
CORI GAUFF: Right now I'm just focused on my next match. I'm going to take it one match at a time.

Q. I'm guessing coming into this tournament there was a lot of attention, expectation. What were you doing before this tournament to be insulated, not start to hear too much about what was happening?
CORI GAUFF: I was training at home, taking it easy, being with my family. I got to see a lot of extended family members, especially in Winston-Salem, because a lot of them didn't live too far from the tournament.

I also played an exhibition with Barty. That was really good prep for this tournament because she's No. 2 in the world, clearly playing at a really high level. It was good to get that kind of experience because I don't have a lot of matches under my belt. Playing that definitely was, I guess, a big part of my training before the US Open.

Q. You just mentioned family. We know that family is important. A recent article talked about your granddad. He seemed to do incredible things as a minor league baseball player, facing a lot of adversity. Talk about him, what you learned from him.
CORI GAUFF: One thing about my grandfather, he doesn't care too much about the cameras and everything. They've been really supportive. Like, whenever I go out of the town, they're watching my brothers. He played baseball. My brother also plays baseball. I can't tell you how many times we're eating dinner and he takes my brother out to go hit. He even put a whole batting cage in his driveway just for my brothers. He's like the best possible grandfather I could have.

Honestly, I'm just super grateful. He's always calling me. My whole life he's saying, Never say die. Ever since I was younger, I would hear that. That's kind of stuck in my head, even when the matches are tough. Both of my grandparents are amazing.

Q. Has he spoken about his experiences in baseball?
CORI GAUFF: Not too much with me. Obviously I know. Mainly with my brothers because they're in the same sport as him. Like, my grandfather, he's not the type to talk about his glory days, I guess. My dad is the opposite (laughter). He's a very quiet, reserved guy. He lets you know his opinion.

Q. Has there been anything unsettling about this newfound fame? People recognize you? Any downside?
CORI GAUFF: I think it's mostly upside. The platform that I've been blessed again is really amazing. The amount of people and kids especially that come up to me saying I inspire them is honestly I guess better than any match I could win, just to know that I inspire another kid maybe to pick up a racquet or go through something they're facing at school.

The amount of DMs I got on social media, also. I just hope I can continue this, continue to inspire.

I mean, yeah, what I do on court is great, but what really matters is what happens off court, the people who you affect.

Q. I was told in Delray Beach your father has a sports bar where they do incredible cheese burgers. Do you eat them? Today we were announced in the media, Please get a ticket if you want to go and watch Coco Gauff. The same day John Isner, nobody requested an interview with the No. 1 of America. A comment on that.
CORI GAUFF: Well, to answer the first question, yeah, I eat at my dad's bar often. It's not the healthiest food, so I can't eat there too often. They make some really good wings. I'm really tough on my dad when it comes to his cooking. He's good, but I got to pretend to be a chef. They're really good.

What was the second question?

Q. Related to you announced you have to get a ticket to see her. John Isner, nobody cares. No. 1 in America, nobody called him, nobody requested an interview. He didn't even come.
CORI GAUFF: Well, John Isner is amazing. I mean, I've met him a couple times. He's really nice. I mean, I would want to watch him play. He's great.

Q. You're not answering.
CORI GAUFF: No, but he's great. Did he win today?

Q. Yes.
CORI GAUFF: He won, okay. Well, I hope that he makes it far in this tournament. Honestly, he's the No. 1 American. He's a big inspiration for a lot of people, probably more than me.

Q. Clearly this match didn't start the way you wanted with three doubles. You fall behind 0-3. On the changeover you kind of threw up your hands, it looked like you looked at your box like you wanted everyone to chill out. What was your message?
CORI GAUFF: I was telling them to get hyped up more. I needed more positive energy. I was nervous. Just looking at them when they're giving me a fist pump gives me a little reassurance. I think they were nervous. They wanted to stay more reserved, too. I was like, No, I need you guys to come on, stand up, I'm losing 3-Love, I need something to help me.

After a while, they helped me. I was just trying to get, like, them and the crowd jumped up.

Q. It seemed like you and Nastia had a good moment at the net. What did you say to one another?
CORI GAUFF: She said congratulations, that was amazing. I said, Congratulations, it was a great fight. You played amazing. I think anyone could have won that match maybe if a point went different or something. She played amazing.

I think it was a good match on such a big stage so a lot of people could see it. She's young, too. She's only a couple years older than me. I know we're going to see each other a lot in the future. I hope we do see each other in the future, but hopefully in the finals, not in the first round.

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