ROLAND GARROS

May 25, 2022

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/A. Van Uytvanck

6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: How does it feel to be in the third round here?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it means a lot to be in the third round, especially after Australian Open. I lost first round so it's good -- really, I was relieved after the first match, and now I'm just playing free from there.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You said that you felt freer in this round. Was it a big weight off your shoulders to get the first win under your belt? How did that change your approach today?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I felt like for me personally, maybe another couple players, no one wants to lose first round. I think once that match is over, at least for me, I play a lot freer. Obviously every match is a lot of pressure to do well, but I think just that one in my head is always a tough one.

Q. What are the things right now that you're most happy about your game? What do you think about your next opponent, Kaia Kanepi?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think for me I'm most happy with my movement and being able to create depth and create those opportunities to get short balls. I think that helped me a lot today.

Playing Kaia, this will be my second time I think playing her. Yeah, last time it was a close match and I was able to pull that one through. And hopefully today -- I already know it's going to be a pretty hard match no matter what the score is either way. So, yeah.

Q. Nowadays in tennis, social media are becoming quite a problem, there are a lot of players threatened or receiving nasty messages. What do you think about that, and how do you handle it?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, yeah, we all get messages. I think for me most of the time or 99.9% of the time is from an account with no followers or anything. I think for me I just don't take it seriously.

I think it's funny. A lot of times the crazy messages that I get I share with friends and just laugh about them, because some of them are pretty absurd with the insults they can come up with.

For me, I always had a light-heart approach to that. Yeah, it doesn't really affect me as much. Yeah.

Q. But do you understand that some players can be really affected psychologically?

COCO GAUFF: Yay, I mean, for sure. If you have messages telling you to kill yourself and quit tennis, then yeah, it's going to affect somebody. Me personally, I'm just lucky in my head space I have learned or over the years learned to not pay attention to it as much.

But, you know, other players, everyone is different, everyone is sensitive to some things. Yeah, I know some players who have a hard time dealing with that. I don't really know if there is a way to control it.

Yeah, unfortunately I don't have any solutions on how it can be fixed.

Q. Wondering about the doubles here. I noticed you're playing with Jessie and you've obviously had some real success together this season. Why with Jessie and not with Caty?

COCO GAUFF: It really came down because we were playing in singles different tournaments for the clay season. She was playing other tournaments and I was playing Rome and Madrid, and we both, or I thought that it would be best that we would just, you know, take a break and play the clay season with one partner. So that way French Open that we can both -- at least me, have the best preparation for that tournament.

For sure, I'm going to play with Caty again. I think just with our different singles schedule it was just difficult to be able to find time to practice. We really only played one French Open together, even though I felt like we have been playing for years now.

So, yeah, I think really just came down to our singles schedules.

Q. You have told us that your dad is always animated when he watches you. Did you speak to him before this round, or was that your mom's job again to make sure he behaved?

COCO GAUFF: No, I don't speak to him really about how -- he already knows. My mom is there really to tell him when he's going, doing too much. But a lot of times I have learned not to look so much as (A) when I lose a point and more when I win because he does give great reactions when I win a point.

Yeah, sometimes, I mean, he doesn't mean to, obviously, with no harm. I'm the same though. When my brother is playing his basketball or baseball games I like throw my hands up, and as much as I hate when my dad does it, I do it. I know probably my brothers hate it too.

I think it's just reaction. Then afterwards he's like, oh -- a lot of times I don't know if they show it on TV. He has a rubber band in his hand. That's what he tries to fidget with.