US OPEN

August 29, 2022

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/L. Jeanjean

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Would you just give us your thoughts on your first round.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, today was a good match for me. I think for first round usually I'm nervous, but the way I played, I don't think I felt that way.

Finally got a win on Ashe, so that's exciting.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Leolia has a similar story to you in that she broke through really young and a lot of expectations placed on her. I don't know if you know her well, if you have spoken to her about it, but can you reflect on dealing with those expectations at a young age. Now you are established, more of a grownup, what that kind of means to you to have been through all that.

COCO GAUFF: I never spoke to her about it. Honestly today was my first day, like, talking to her. Before the match we didn't really talk much.

You know, from the little things we said to each other in the warmup she seemed like a nice girl. In the match she's clapping for a lot of my shots, which is very rare for an opponent to do. I think, even though I don't know her that well, I think that shows she has a great personality.

Regarding the pressure, it's something that you just have to go, everybody's journey is different, every player who's dealt, young player just came out and tried to deal with the pressure probably has a different story.

It all depends on your life and what you think works best for yourself. For me there is definitely a lot of ups and downs, I feel like there is mostly ups. I enjoy the pressure.

Q. What are your plans for watching Serena's match tonight? What are your thoughts about the meaning of the occasion?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I know I said on the court that I was going to watch some TV but I actually am going to stay and watch it live. As I thought about it, I was, like, I have to watch. I'm excited and, you know, it's not often we watch live matches, to be honest.

But for Serena, of course, but everything she's done in her career, I don't know that this will be her final match or not. I hope not. I hope that she wins and that she keeps going. In general, either way, everything that she's done, I'm sure it's going to be an emotional night for everyone, for everything she's done on and off the court, I think you can't put into words.

I hope that tonight is how she wants to end or evolve away from tennis.

Q. Your expectations of the atmosphere?

COCO GAUFF: Oh, the expectations is just going to be full. We all know that. It's going to be loud. Everybody is going to be on her side. I'm going to be cheering for her. It's going to be probably one of the most electric matches that will ever happen in tennis. At least that's what my expectation is.

Q. Do you feel that there is more expectations on you? Do you put more pressure on yourself since the French Open final? Are you trying not to do that?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think there is definitely more expectations on me. I think winning a final -- not winning, getting to a final, hopefully winning, will speak into existence -- oh, my God, I said it again.

Getting to a final, I think people expect you to get over that final hurdle, and that's something I expect of myself too because I know I feel it in me that I can repeat it and do it again. Now I know what that nervousness feels like. I didn't expect myself to be so nervous before the final. Now that I know what to expect, I expect myself to at least do better, maybe not win next time but do better.

And regarding the pressure, like, I learned in my life that you just have to accept it, you can't ignore it. It's going to be there. You feel it. Everybody else feels it for you. So instead of trying to say, I'm not nervous, I'm not this, I'm saying, I am nervous, I do feel pressure, I do feel this.

Now once you acknowledge a problem, you can solve it.

Q. You talked about how you handled your pressure and ups and downs of your career. You are still very young. But if you pick the most important decision you have made or some tournament or match which you can call turning a point, what would it be?

COCO GAUFF: I think it would be my loss to Simona Halep in Madrid. I think, you know, after that match, I felt like there was a lot of expectations for that match.

You know, I was leading in the second set and then I completely lost the lead and kind of mentally broke down. After the match we went back on the practice court and I just couldn't finish the practice. I remember that night, I told myself, you can either feel bad about yourself and feel like the world is against you, or you can empower yourself and solve a way to fight through these emotions. I chose to fight through these emotions.

Now with every loss, I feel like it's no longer a mental type of thing. Yes, there is some mental things involved in tennis. That's in general. But not a complete breakdown.

So I think in a way I'm just acknowledging it, and I think this is the first time that I'm acknowledging, not that it's a problem, because everybody experiences this, I'm sure if you ask some of the best players, even Rafa, he said this many times, he feels nervous. I think I expected myself not to feel that way but now I'm acknowledging it and now I can work on a way to working through those emotions.

Q. Jeanjean took the university route, going to Lynn down the road. What's that done for her game? Where do you think she is vis-a-vis the pro tour now? Obviously she's lost years.

COCO GAUFF: I wouldn't say it has lost years, because I think there is a huge stigma around players going to college and saying it's lost years. I don't think it's lost years. I think in a way college builds character and it builds like a work ethic and it builds confidence.

You guys are probably like, You've never been, how do you know? I don't know. But I do know from speaking to other players, and there's many great players who came out of the college setting and are still on tour doing well and performing well. Would you say they lost years? No. Because I think for some players it's just their route.

Yeah, so I don't think she lost years. I think if anything, the college experience made her a better player. I don't know much about her before college but I don't know where her ranking was, her position on tour, but I'm sure she's in a much better position now. So I think it helped her game a lot. And I think, you know, third round French Open and quallied her way into this tournament, so I think she's going to do well.

I think college is probably the reason why she's doing well. And she has a degree, which a lot of people don't have; I don't have, and I want it. She's doing better than I have. I wouldn't say it lost her years. I think, if anything, it helped her as a person. And I want to go to college, too. So, yeah.

Q. You have had this incredible young life and yet in our society there are a lot of people that have a tough go of it, tough lives. Could you just talk about the general position of athletes being role models. And how important is it for people to have heroes?

COCO GAUFF: It is so important, to be honest. You know, you ask me, I would say I lived a pretty privileged life. You know, my parents made enough money to support me, never had to think about financial things. My parents are still together. That's a privilege. So I think in a way I acknowledge that.

And, yes, but I wouldn't say -- I feel like there is a stigma too that people think because you have this life, everything's perfect; it's not true. Everybody has their own inner demons that they are fighting. But I do acknowledge maybe my battle's a little bit easier.

I think heroes are important. You look at Serena and Venus, their situation they came through, not having as much money financially and coming through a tough neighborhood in Compton, and me, I know I live a better life than they probably did in that aspect better, quote, unquote.

I think for me, even knowing that, it made me feel that I could do it. So I hope that somebody can look at me and say that I feel like I can do it because she did it. You know, you have these heroes like LeBron James, Allyson Felix, the list goes on, Simone Biles, you have these heroes living their lives and you can't imagine how inspiring it is to see that.

Even off-court heroes, Billie Jean King, Barack Obama, Ms. Michelle Obama, it's something I can't really put into words how much of an impact, they probably don't know, they had on my life as a kid. I think for kids to see is important. When I'm signing and taking pictures with these kids, even today I gave the kid my wristband, it's crazy he's probably going to remember this moment for the rest of his life and I feel so honored to be put in that position.

Q. On today's match, how important was it for you to get that first win on Ashe and maybe banish some demons? And also just on the match itself with the way that you were serving, managing the first-round nerves, all that sort of stuff, you had to feel pretty good how you came at it there?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think it really came from the experience I had in these last couple years. I was really nervous, I was feeling the pressure. I was, like, It's my first back in the home slam after a final, I know everybody, in Ashe. I didn't think I would be put on Ashe, to be honest. To be frank, I didn't think I was going to be on Ashe today. Opening the women's draw on Ashe, too, at that.

I was definitely nervous. I literally told myself last night -- last night or this morning, I said, You know what, I'm just going to go out there and have fun, enjoy the moment, who cares if I win on Ashe or not. I'm sure there is going to be other opportunities.

But it is nice to break the barrier. I really didn't think about it until after the match was over and then I walked out into the crowd and said, Wait, I haven't done this before. That's why I told them, it was like my first win on Ashe.

Q. With you being the No. 1 doubles tennis player in the world right now and Serena along with Venus winning 14 Grand Slams together, how much inspiration and impact that the Williams sisters and Serena had on your doubles game? How many times were you able to get to see them in doubles, which usually doesn't get as much air time?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, they are the reason why I play doubles. Like I said, I always try to emulate everything. Doubles was part of my development -- well, my parents' development plan for me. I think it is a shame that people kind of dismiss it. Because if you actually play and if you ask most singles players, obviously a person later in their career, it's hard to do both, but me, 18, I can handle it.

But I think it helped me so much, and it helps, continues to help me. All my firsts have been in doubles. First final, first title, first everything have been in doubles. It gives me confidence and allows me to work on shots that I don't really work on. Today I was at the net a lot, and I credit that to doubles.

People forget, the greatest tennis player to play has 23 slams but also has 14 doubles slams, and I think two or three doubles gold medals, I don't know the fact.

People always diminish that too. That's why I always say there's not going to be another player to be like that. She has 23 slams in singles, everyone sees the number 23, 23, but they forget the 14.

I don't know how many combined they have between singles and doubles, between Serena and Venus. If I can get like maybe five, four, three, or one, anything in either, like I had three finals. I'm, like, can I just get one?

Yeah, I think doubles is important, and I think it's important for tennis, because most casual tennis watchers all play doubles mainly. I mean, coming from South Florida, pretty much everybody plays doubles, nobody really plays singles.

Q. I read the Sunday Times and it's rare an athlete gets to be on the cover of the Sunday magazine. Curious what you thought of the article, are you going to get that framed? Are people buying multiple copies of The New York Times? Curious your reaction to that.

COCO GAUFF: I haven't seen it in person yet, to be honest. I saw the digital cover.

Honestly, when we shot it, I knew I was going to be on the cover. But I guess you don't realize until it actually happens. It was pretty cool. The shoot was really fun to do. The article, I don't read any of my articles, so I don't know if it turned out well or not.

Because I don't watch any of my interviews, I can't stand the sound of my voice. It's actually a problem. And I cannot stand reading quotes of mine, because a lot of the times I feel like it just seems so theatrical, I'm not trying to be that. But the way they put the edit and the quote and my name after it, I'm like, it's not that serious.

But I don't read it, so I don't know how it turned out. I do look at the pictures, because I like to pretend I'm a super model sometimes. So, yeah (smiling).

Q. I just wanted to ask if you would mind revisiting the thought train that took you from, I'm going to go home to watch it on TV to, no, I'm going to watch it live. Walk us through your thoughts there.

COCO GAUFF: I was stretching, and, I was like, I have been coming to the US Open since I was eight years old, every year, haven't missed a year. Went from watching to playing, which is cool. We only really came to see Serena or Venus, to be honest. As a kid, I didn't care. I know it sounds bad but I didn't care about anyone else, really. And Roger, too, I did try to get Roger's autograph here on Ashe, I remember that.

So then I was like this is her final match. I feel like eight-year-old me would want to see this. Because I'm in the tournament usually I don't like to stay at the site but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I said, I've gotta go and I heard that something special is going to happen. Yeah.

Q. Curious what you think about the state of like the business of tennis and the sports visibility relative to other sports? Especially as a young up-and-coming player, what would you like the sport to be like and grow over the life of your career?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think tennis is like, for especially on the women's side, it's probably one of the most popular sports around the world, like when you see individual stories, and not so much a team, like individual players and athletes being featured, mostly it's Naomi and Serena on the Vogue magazines, and Emma, too, but on Vogue, and all these other medias.

It's kind of cool, but obviously I would love to see it grow. Here at the US Open, I feel like, I don't know, when I'm looking at the grounds, I always feel like this tournament is so crowded, between Wimbledon and US Open, the one where the most celebrities come to and see.

I think it's growing. I mean, the game is already big. I don't know how much bigger it can go, because Ashe is a big stadium. I mean, I would love to see it grow even more. Like I said, I think it's already huge, but that's just from my perspective because I see all the people at the matches and it just looks like a lot of people to me.