AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2023

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Coco, welcome back to Melbourne. Talk about the start of your year, winning the title in Auckland last week.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it was a great confidence booster for me. I had a lot of fun in Auckland. I think the tournament did a great job, despite the rain. Unfortunate for the fans, but I had a great time playing indoors and outdoors. We joked it was more of an indoor tournament than outdoor. But I still had a lot of fun. I hope to be back.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I wonder about the off-season, how much work you're able to do on your game to try to improve areas maybe that you're not as confident with. Is there enough time? Do you feel like you've made any meaningful difference between the end of the season and now?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think I made a lot of improvements. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of long days. But I feel like I've improved a lot.

Yeah, I really think that I had probably one of the best off-seasons I had in a while. Now, we don't know if the results will show right away for the work. It has so far in the first week. But I hope it continues throughout the year.

I think it really was a good off-season for me.

Q. Any specifics about what you worked on?

COCO GAUFF: A lot of the transition game. I know a lot of people mention how many times I went to the net in Auckland. That was a lot we were working on, especially for me who likes to play doubles. I was trying to transfer that volleying more into singles, especially with the way I move and hit. Then serving, working on serve placement. Also the forehand, working on that, and returns.

Q. You collected I think a prize money check of around about $34,000 winning that title. The men's champion today I think will win three times that roughly. Is that a disparity you're aware of? How do you feel about it?

COCO GAUFF: To be honest, this is the first time. I don't pay attention to my prize money, so I had no idea how much I won. It's nothing something I look for.

I mean, I didn't realize the difference. I mean, yeah, there's definitely a difference. There's definitely work that needs to be done, especially at the lower-level tournament, 250s, the 500s, 125s, to kind of make that more even now.

But, yeah, I honestly didn't look at my prize money at that tournament. I just was trying to get on the flight to Melbourne.

Yeah, I didn't realize it was that big of a difference.

Q. You've been around for a few years now, but you're still only 18. Do you feel like a veteran? Do you feel like a kid?

COCO GAUFF: It's kind of weird. Like, compared to other players, I mean, obviously I still have a lot less years than them. But there's some, like I was joking about this last night. I did mini golfing with Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks. This is his first time out of the country. He played main draw US Open, but first time out of the country. I was just saying like, I'm a vet compared to you, even though he's older than me. I think I've been on tour four years now.

I don't know how I feel like. I definitely feel like more experienced and like I belong. I don't feel like the new kid, but I don't think I feel like quite a vet, but I don't feel like I'm the new kid. I feel like I'm in the middle of the pack.

Q. In terms of this tournament itself, what is the challenge of the Australian Open to you? What has been the struggle in the past to sometimes bring out your best tennis? What do you hope is different this year?

COCO GAUFF: I think just it being the first slam of the year, everybody wants to get off to a good start. I think that's the first part, just getting over the nerves.

But I think the main thing is just accepting the circumstances. You never know how you're going to feel in these first couple matches. Especially just the way the weather is, like today is super hot, but the days we've been practicing have not been hot. You don't know what you're going to get. I think you just have to accept it.

Yeah, really I'm just hoping to see myself on the court, being present in the moment, not looking too far in the future. I think I've done a good job of that last week in Auckland. I'm hoping to do that here, just enjoying the present and not looking too far in the past or too far in the future.

Q. Kind of connected to that, when you say not looking too far into the future, how aware are you of what your possible path forward through the draw looks like here, specifically this time, but also just in general week to week at different tournaments?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I never really look at the whole draw. I never look at who I'm playing next 'cause you won't be playing next if you don't get through the first match. I'm the type of person that takes it match by match.

Yeah, for the most part that's what I do every week. Usually if I'm looking at the draw, it's maybe to see who my friends are playing, but that's about it.

Q. How do you then find out? Will you look or your dad will say, Hey, next comes this, after you win a match? How do you find out?

COCO GAUFF: Usually in the press (smiling). I do a match, I usually come 30 minutes, 40 minutes off the court straightaway. During that time I don't look at who I play.

I feel like each win, you need to enjoy it a little bit more. I feel like I'm just looking in the past, looking too far ahead. I think at least for that 45 minutes that I have before press, like enjoying that win.

In the Grand Slams it's a lot easier because you have that day in between. Usually I would enjoy my win, not start focusing to the next match until, like, midday on the day off.

Yeah, usually I find out either in the press or I just look it up myself.

Q. You had tremendous success in doubles last year as well as singles. Do you have a plan for 2023, how much doubles you plan to play? Similar to last year?

COCO GAUFF: I think we're just taking it tournament by tournament. Definitely I don't know if I'll play, like, as much. Auckland I think it was a good decision not to play. I was debating on playing or not. I mean, I couldn't predict the weather. Something in my gut told me not to, and I guess it was that, the weather.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to I guess taking it tournament by tournament. I'll be playing with Jess pretty much the whole year, so it will be a lot easier I guess regarding making the Race. Jess and I teamed up in Dubai -- no, Doha. It was a little bit later in the year. We weren't even thinking of making the Race. We never had the results together till then.

I think it's one of those things we'll just take tournament by tournament. It will be definitely a little bit of a lesser schedule.

Q. Picking up on the whole idea of whether you're new, where you are in your tennis career. If you were asked what percentage of your potential you are, do you think you're 50% of the player you'll eventually be? 75? How cooked are you at this point?

COCO GAUFF: It's something that I've really thought about. If you look at, like, the top 10 right now, most of them are in their 20s, like 22 to 26, I would say. As much as I would like to think this might be the best I'll be, I don't believe it 'cause I feel like most of the tennis players, at least on tour now, are peaking in their career around 22 to 26.

I was thinking about that the other day, and that's what I kind of feel like I put a little bit less pressure on myself. I've noticed from 15 when I started to now, I realize, like, physically I'm at a much different level than I was at 15. I think I'm just continuing to get stronger.

There's a joke that my mom has. She is like, You don't have that grown woman strength yet. You'll know when you get it (smiling).

I can't put a percent on it, but I know the best is yet to come for me. I think that's just looking at other players, when they're winning most of their titles. So I do think I have a way to go.

Also just maturity. I'm not mature yet. Like, I am mature. I'm not going to say I'm immature (smiling). I guess I'm not as mature as other players are. That's going to come with life on earth, not how many years you are on tour.