AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2023

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/E. Raducanu

6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Coco, congratulations on the win. Obviously there was a lot of anticipation around your match with Emma. How did it feel to actually play it?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I know a lot of people were looking forward to that matchup. I'm glad we got the prime spot. I hope we delivered to everyone's entertainment.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you feel you delivered personally tonight? What was your impression of your performance?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think it was a tough match for me, like with the conditions, a lot different from my first-round match, playing 11:00 in the day with the roof open to playing at night in, like, heavy conditions.

It was really tough to kind of fight. In a lot of those points I was just trying to hang in there. For the most part I think I did well today. There's things I can improve on.

There's no way you can go through a whole tournament playing every match perfect, so I think it's all about being resilient when you need to.

Q. Are you happy with the way in the first week or two of the season your forehand has been working well under pressure, produce penetration?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think today my forehand I hit I feel like better today than my backhand. Unforced errors on the backhand. Like, I'm just happy that I guess through the work that I did in the pre-season, it's working out.

I know it's one of the things that I needed to work on. I feel like it's improving every match, every week. I hope in the next ones it continues like it was today and the previous match.

Q. We've been talking about the net game. A little bit less of that today. How much of that was tactical or situational?

COCO GAUFF: I think for me it was more situational. I think going into the match, I obviously want to get into net when I can. But with the slower conditions, I think it was tough for me to actually set up good approach shots where I felt comfortable going into the net.

I know with Emma, she does a really good job I feel like of hitting her targets, especially hitting the ball down the line, which is probably the easiest place to pass. I think I had a tougher time trying to figure out a way to the net.

I was talking to my coach. I felt like I could have gone in more. But he said really it just depended on how you felt and you did what you needed to do in that moment.

I think in the future I'll look back at the match and see if I actually could have. But when you're playing, you feel things differently.

Q. You drew a lot of errors out of her with your defense. Everyone wants to hit winners. When you get an extra ball back, you see a player miss because of your defense, do you enjoy that?

COCO GAUFF: Honestly not as much really (smiling). I prefer to win the points on an offensive way. Definitely I know it's frustrating for a player when you're getting a lot of balls back. Speed is obviously one of my strengths. I've always used it on the defense. I'm trying to use it more offensively. I think I've been doing well with that.

But, yeah, I mean, it definitely helps in, like, the tiebreaker. I think most of the points I won in the tiebreaker was because of my defense. But honestly, when you won the point, but it's not as satisfying as a winner or, like, a forced error or something like that.

Q. Maturity, in terms of being able to get through this couple of challenges, do you feel that's coming together nicely?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think it was for me being mature, not freaking out. I think I did a good job not freaking out on my serve. After I got broken, I needed to hold at 4-5. Honestly one of those set points definitely probably had the ball on her racquet with the dropshot. I got a little bit lucky there.

But for the most part I think I stayed calm when I needed to and made the serve when I needed to, held when I needed to. I think that definitely comes with maturity. I feel like in the past I would have freaked out in that moment.

I was reminding myself, It's the second set, you're up a set, she needs to win this set to stay in the match. You know the level that you're playing. In the third set you have a really good chance of winning.

I think I was just trying to focus on the point in front of me and not look too far in the future.

Q. Sometimes when the matches get tighter, top players, when they're playing a lower-ranked player, it comes into their head, I'm the No. 1 player, they lock their games down. You don't take bad losses, you haven't for a long time. Do you have that level of confidence yet to kind of think that way, No, I'm the No. 7 player in the world, you're not winning this today?

COCO GAUFF: For me it's a similar mindset. Not so much on the ranking. For me, I know how much work I've put in. I'm not looking at everybody's training sessions. I don't know if I'm working harder or not. But I feel like I put in 100% effort work every day the last couple months. When I go into the match, I tell myself, You put in a lot of work, you gave everything.

My grandfather always says - he's a baseball coach - he would say: The hardest-working team usually wins. What he means by that, maybe not win in the moment, but win in the long run.

Even if I lost tonight, I do feel like I'm one of the hardest-working players on tour. I feel like I put in as much of myself as I can in practice and everything else off the court. I feel like in the long run I will have the results that I want. I have that in the back of my head.

I know with the work I put in that I'm a strong player. I feel like that's the mentality that I've learned. When you feel like you're the hardest-working person, you know when the moments get close, all that hard work will come out.

Q. You became a public figure very young. Emma did as well. Do you feel you can relate to her? Do you feel you could create some sort of connection through the years?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I definitely feel for her. I guess I can kind of relate. I feel like she experienced it on a much bigger level than I did.

But coming in on tour young, it's a different life from juniors, playing in smaller events, to all of a sudden people knowing your name, people expecting you to win all the time.

For me, last year was my first full year on tour. I think last year was her first full year, as well. I think it's something that people need to remember and be reminded of.

I think fans are eager to see a new face of the game. I think it's also a reminder, even if we didn't play tennis, we're just normal teenagers living our life. If we made a mistake, people would say, You're just 20, you're 18 years old, you can bounce back.

I think people need to kind of relate that to tennis, as well. I think tennis is one of those sports, especially in the women's game, used to having young stars. Everybody is expecting everyone to be at the top of their game.

I said this in a previous press conference. If you look at the top 10, everyone is at least 22, besides Iga, she's 21. Everyone else is at least 22. I would say that's probably prime for most athletes at that age. I think people need to remember that and put that in perspective.

Q. Looking ahead, could you play Zheng Qinwen. If you do play her, what do you make of her, another teenage rising star? What do you think of her game?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, she is an incredible baseliner. She does really well being aggressive. I think it's going to be a challenge for me. It's going to probably be similar today where I have to get in those corners and play some defense.

Also I think my offensive game will be the most important to me if I do play her just because I feel like she's going to take the first strike when she can. I feel like I need to do the same, as well.

Q. On Emma, was there anything about her game that surprised you or impressed you?

COCO GAUFF: I wouldn't say anything surprised me because I feel like I've watched enough of her play. I knew how she was going to come out.

I definitely was impressed - well I wouldn't say 'impressed' - but I knew she's like a Grand Slam champion. I knew she had it in her. But she raised her level a lot towards the end of the second set. It takes a lot of resilience I feel like to do that, especially in the big stages and the big matches. When you're down a set and a break, it's easy to throw in the towel. I think she did a good job of raising her level when she needed to.

Just honestly, tiebreakers can go either way, and it went my way tonight.

Q. About age, how society looks at it, do you ever have points in tournaments or matches, I'm 18 years old, this place is full to watch me play tennis? Do you ever have those kind of thoughts?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, for me it's all about finding the balance. I feel like I've been on the opposite spectrum where I forget my age. I almost put too much pressure on myself wanting things now, now, now, now. I think I've taken a step back.

I felt like I didn't ever want to use my age as an excuse for losing or why I'm not accomplishing things. I think it was putting too much pressure on myself.

Now I'm taking a step back. Not really looking at my age saying I'm young, I have time. I don't ever want to feel too comfortable. I'm just a believer you never know what can happen in the future.

It's also a balance of accepting that at your age, you're going to make mistakes, accepting that you're learning. I think I appreciate tonight more at 18 than when I beat Naomi at 15 or 16 here, same night session match, 7 p.m. prime spot on Laver.

Even though that was probably a bigger win for me, I appreciated tonight more because I feel like I'm not in that mindset of I'm supposed to win and I'm supposed to do this and supposed to do that. I'm more just appreciating it match by match.

I think that just goes from learning. I think Emma probably feels the same way, at least what I've gotten from listening to her press conferences, as well.