MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 27, 2022

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/S. Zhang

7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Well done today. Tough two-set match against Zhang Shuai. Talk us through your thoughts on the match.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think I just kind of mentally was hanging in there. I wasn't playing my best. She's a tough player to play. I knew it was going to be a tough match, and I was glad that I was able to pull it out today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You're 18 now, but experience kind of got you through today. As a follow-up, we have to talk a little bit about the new kid on the block, Linda Fruhvirtova. Just talk about you're not the kid anymore. Now you have lots of kids around your age and doing really well on the tour.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. I mean, I have known Linda for a long time. Jeez, probably 13? I knew her when I was 13, so that probably means she was like 11 or so. She also has a younger sister.

I'm always rooting for her. I'm super glad that she's been able to do this well in this tournament, and obviously I hope that she goes further.

Q. Do you feel old now, that these kids...

COCO GAUFF: No, I don't really feel old (smiling). Yeah, I don't feel old.

Q. You could actually play her in a junior match still.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I guess that's true. We both technically could both play. I'm done with juniors, and I'm pretty sure she probably is now (smiling).

Q. Did you do anything special to celebrate your 18th birthday, apply for a credit card or something?

COCO GAUFF: No, I didn't do anything special. My dad got me a car. I haven't seen it in person yet because I have been here.

But, yeah, just dinner with the team and family. Yeah, I had a match that day. I lost. So I celebrated the night before (smiling).

Q. What kind of car?

COCO GAUFF: It's an Audi. I don't really know. It's an electric car. I'm not really a car person. My brother picked it out. Yeah, you have to ask him.

Q. Overall, back to the match, obviously those two sets, they were roller-coaster sets, both of them. How excited are you personally in terms of confidence and you being able to, like you said, hang in there, the furthest you have been now in this tournament?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, definitely am glad I'm able to get this far in this tournament. Obviously eager to continue to do better. Playing in front of my home crowd definitely gave me extra motivation today.

I'm glad that -- I think I was down a set point or something in the first, so I kind of just ripped a return. I'm glad I'm trusting my instincts more.

Q. Are you going by Cori now? We see it listed everywhere as Cori, your dad's name, because you want to be more adult, or do you still prefer Coco?

COCO GAUFF: No, I'm going by Coco, but I can't change my name on the screen. So I prefer Coco. It's what I'm called.

But, yeah, always on the screen it's Cori. I haven't been able to change it due to maybe an issue or something. I don't even know why. But some tournaments do put Coco. Some put Cori. But I prefer when Coco is up there.

Q. Next possible opponent is Iga, No. 1 in the world, officially in a few weeks. Have you played her before? Talk about that potential matchup.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I played her in Rome last year in the semis and she won. She won that match. Hopefully this time it's a different result for me. Well, if I do play her. She still has to play a match.

But, yeah, honestly I have no pressure going in. She's the No. 1 player in the world. She's on a, I guess, a hot streak right now. Or win streak? Win streak, hot streak, is that a thing?

Hopefully I'm just going to go out there and play free if I do end up playing her.

Q. It's the Oscar Night tonight.

COCO GAUFF: Oh, it is the Oscars. Oh, I didn't know that.

Q. King Richard is one of the candidates for best movie.

COCO GAUFF: King Richard, yeah.

Q. Wondered if you watched it and what kind of impression it left on you, if you had any particular feeling watching the movie?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I definitely watched the movie. It was really good. For me, it was kind of -- I have heard the stories, like, I feel in the tennis world people know their story but it was kind of cool to see on the screen.

Obviously I hope that a tennis movie wins an Oscar. I'm going to be rooting for King Richard and I love Will Smith. I'd love to see him get one too.

Yeah, I didn't know the Oscars were tonight, but it's Oscar Sunday, yeah. And March Madness too.