AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2023

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

J. OSTAPENKO/C. Gauff

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Coco, tough luck today. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match and also, how your opponent played as well.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it was a tough match for me. I think Jelena played really good tennis, and she played really aggressive. I feel like everything was working for her today.

I tried my best in the moment to combat that. There was a couple of things I could have improved on, but overall I think she deserved to win today.

THE MODERATOR: Who would like the first question?

Q. Coco, just with you losing and also Iga losing to both very powerful players on a hot day like today, I'm curious if you see kind of a pattern with that or if that surprises you at all just in terms of the matchups, how they're flipping today?

COCO GAUFF: It doesn't really surprise me. I mean, Iga lost to Elena, who just won Wimbledon. I knew that match could go either way. I feel like Jelena, she's somebody that, you know, can play really good and sometimes there's some things that you just can't do.

I think today she played really well. I think I was looking at the stats, and for the most part I was doing pretty good at the stats, but I mean, she returned really well, so it kind of I guess messed up my rhythm a little bit.

You know, she hit a lot of winners, which not a lot of people can do on me. So I think that she did a great job today.

But with the conditions, I've played most of my matches in the day except against Emma, so they were pretty much similar, so I have nothing to complain about that.

Q. How philosophical can you be after a loss like that? Jelena, when she's on can take the racquet out of anybody's hands with her power and ball striking. How much of that loss did you feel like was in your control?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I think every loss is somewhat in my control because I do feel like I'm a good player, but today she just played better.

I mean, there was moments in the match where I was getting frustrated because I normally can problem-solve, but today I feel like I didn't have much answers to what she was doing.

There was balls I was hitting deep, and she was hitting them on the line and hitting them back deep, like, over and over again. It's just one of those days that just didn't go my way and went her way.

I tried what I could. Like I said, there are some things I probably could have improved on, but, I mean, she played well. I mean, you can't really do anything. I'm upset obviously, but I feel like I did everything I could in the moment, and I'll probably have to rewatch and see what I can do better.

Q. How long does it generally take you to get to the point where you can sort of draw lessons from these losses? The cliche that is you don't learn anything by winning; you only learn things by losing. What is that process like for you?

COCO GAUFF: After every loss I pretty much learn something, and every win too. I know people say you don't learn anything from winning, but I think every match there's something to learn.

And, yeah, I mean today I learned a lot. A little bit frustrated, but I think I'll rewatch and see where I went wrong and if I did go wrong.

I feel like from the feedback I've gotten that she just played really well today. She stepped up her game when she needed to, and she held and broke me when she needed to, and I didn't do that.

Q. When you talk about that frustration, can you I guess kind of differentiate the frustration from the result versus, yeah, other reasons why you might be frustrated by today?

COCO GAUFF: I think it's because I worked really hard, and I felt really good coming into the tournament, and I still feel good. Like, I still feel like I've improved a lot. But, you know, when you play a player like her and she plays really well, it's like, you know, there's nothing you can do.

I feel like today I would say nothing because every match you play a part in, but I feel like it was rough. So it's a little bit frustrating on that part (tearing up).

I'm okay. We can keep going.

Q. How much will it help to kind of turn around and have the doubles and to kind of help Jessie as she's still plugging away? But how big of a title chase is that now for you and will it help kind of process and get this behind you?

COCO GAUFF: I'm excited to play doubles. I think it gives me a chance to still be around, and I definitely enjoy just competing in general. So I think it will help me regardless of tomorrow, just let me play with some frustration.

I think doubles has taught me how to play, after losing, how to play with frustration, and that's what I felt like today. I was frustrated.

So I feel like it will help me in the future. You know, bouncing back from a loss is difficult in a Grand Slam, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I hope that I can help her, and I hope that she continues well in the tournament now that I'm out (smiling). I hope she wins it. I knew we would probably face each other if we both kept winning.

Yeah, I'm rooting for her all the way.