THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 3, 2024

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/A. Todoni

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Coco, how are you feeling out on court today?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I felt good out there. It was a lot slower today with just the conditions. But overall I still felt good.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You could face British qualifier Sonay Kartal next. Curious if you know anything about her game and your expectations of playing a Brit here.

COCO GAUFF: I don't know much, to be honest. I knew she was up, like, winning this match. I kind of was looking at some of her results just to prepare and pick and choose what matches I might want to watch.

Now I see it's a third set, so I don't know. I will do that afterwards, depending on the winner. But it will be tough to face a Brit obviously, especially on grass. I think that they always do really well, but especially in this environment.

Q. I remember last year during your summer run, you were talking a lot about learning to win ugly. Today you won 2-1 and said you wish you would have been cleaner. Do you let yourself I guess pick some more nits now that you have won a Grand Slam and you're at a different place in your career? What has that progression been like for you?

COCO GAUFF: I do think I can be too critical because 2-1 is clean. I think it's just like moments, maybe I like missed some shots that I normally would make. Also that's tennis, you're always going to miss some shots that you normally would make. I am trying to focus on straight sets and winning cleaner.

Obviously today I can't be too critical. I think on the court I was getting a little bit more frustrated than normal, considering the scoreline.

Q. Why do you think you're doing better than you were a month ago, six weeks ago? General thoughts on your approach and what might be different than earlier this spring.

COCO GAUFF: I think I'm just going for it more and accepting the misses. I think today I had a really low first-serve percentage in the first set and maybe in the second it got higher.

I think when I go for it overall it's more winning for me on my serve. I think I just have a lot of confidence in my return game that makes the serving a lot easier.

I know I can get the power when I need to. I think I'm just trying to focus on continuing that and not losing confidence in it. Obviously when you're making more second serves on the court, it is overall easier to hold serve.

Q. Speaking of going for your serve, how much do you check the serve speed? Do you think you have 130 in your shoulder?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I do check the serve speed sometimes in the match because I try to make sure I go for it. Sometimes unconsciously when you're tight, maybe you try to just get the serve in. There are times where I'll check. If I miss, even if I miss and the serve is like 119 or 118 and up, I'm like okay, that's good. I hate to miss when it's slower.

I want to get to 130. I think the fastest I've gotten is 128.

Do I have a 130 in me? I don't know. Maybe if I was a little bit taller. I can get definitely 130. Now, if it goes in, I don't know (smiling).

Q. I hate to ask you to look beyond Wimbledon, but this is a challenging year given you've gone from clay to grass to clay, then to hard courts in defense of your US Open. What kind of a challenge is that? Is there anything you plan to do?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, well, the first thing is I don't look at it like a defense or anything because I was looking at a lot of players in the past in the off-season because I felt like I was looking a lot at the defense. A lot of times players win their first slam, it takes them a couple years to win the next. Not that I want to be that person. I want to win obviously as soon as possible.

I tend to be ultracritical on myself. I'm like, Okay, let me take a step back, be patient, and enjoy the ride.

When it comes to all of these events being bunched up together, I haven't looked that far ahead honestly. Right now I'm looking at going back to clay transition. We'll see when it gets to hard court. I think hard is the easiest to transition just 'cause nothing changes, it's there, cement. I think that will be the easiest.

I will be curious to see how this grass to clay goes. I feel like I've finally gotten used to moving on grass. I usually don't go back on clay till next year. I'm excited to go back on clay. I do like clay, so I think it will be okay.

Q. You've studied French. What are your thoughts on when other players entertain questions in multiple languages at these press conferences, and perhaps do you envision doing that someday?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, that is my dream. I'm just, like, on and off. I get unconfident in my French when I go to Paris specifically. Sometimes they're not nice when it comes to me trying to speak French.

I do want to do it one day. I understand it more than I can, like, speak. I think I'm just trying to be more confident in it. But I do try my best at home to do as much. I used to have a tutor. During COVID I actually had a tutor, but it became tough to schedule lessons with the schedule.

It is something that I'll try to do again maybe during the off-season.

Q. What are your thoughts on the players who do?

COCO GAUFF: I think it's incredible. I told you it's my dream to be able to do that. It's incredible, especially those who maybe English isn't their first language. It's great that they know how to do it. I think as Americans, we're pretty spoiled when it comes to that because we don't have to do that.

Q. Obviously Andy Murray has announced this will be his last Wimbledon, it seems. What for you would be his legacy, perhaps specifically with regard to women's tennis?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, I just saw a video on TikTok which always makes its rounds about correcting reporters about statistics. It's something that as a female player, you'll see a lot where people will be, like, He's the first player to do this. It's like, Well, Serena and Venus did it, another player did it ages ago, the first American. I did it, just did it.

Yeah, I do appreciate him. Not only him but also his mother for everything they've done for equality for women's sports.

I think his legacy is that he's just a fighter. The most inspiration I have from him is no matter what court he's playing, whether it's an ITF or Centre Court here, he's putting 100% effort into that.

It's really unfortunate he couldn't get one last healthy match out here 'cause I definitely think he deserves to end his career in his terms. I hope that the doubles goes well with his brother. He's definitely an icon of the sport. He's had an incredible career that a lot of people dream of.

Q. You previously said that you feel passionate about expressing yourself on court through your outfits and style. Some of your outfits have taken a couple years in the making. What inspired your outfit today, the process?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, honestly, Wimbledon there's not too much you can do in the color department. We just tried to do something different with the cut of the dress. Like, I like to wear crop tops a lot. That cut is kind of, like, supposed to be like a crop top, an elegant Wimbledon type way, I just think of Wimbledon as a tradition. Even with my nails, I always usually get like French or white here just to match that elegance of it.

Yeah, so I think that was the inspiration from it. The only thing you can really do here is play with the texture. Maybe next year I'll try to put more texture into it. Not much you can do here. But I do appreciate the elegance of it all.

Q. Coco, I just wondered, during the Wimbledon fortnight what you like to do when you're not playing tennis?

COCO GAUFF: Tonight I was thinking if I could go to a theater show. Other than that I like to read, watch TV. I'm watching 'The Bear' right now. Talk to friends. I go on and off with hobbies. I used to crochet, then I stopped. I'll probably pick it up again and stop.

Then the French, I'm trying to learn French. I'll do it for like a good month and then stop. It's just finding new things to pick up on the road to pass the time because we have a lot of time when we're in between matches.

Q. (No microphone.)

COCO GAUFF: No, I saw the Michael Jackson one in New York. It was amazing. Maybe that again. I don't know if they have 'The Wiz' here, I don't know. I'll have to look. Either that or something I've never seen before.

I think they have 'Lion King', but I've already seen that, like, six times. I can make it seven (laughter).

Q. You mentioned Serena and Venus just a moment ago. Back to the outfit question. There are some fans online who are convinced that your dress this year bears quite a striking resemblance to Serena Williams' 2019 cutout dress. Has she inspired your outfits at all?

A. No, she did not. I think that Serena has just done every iconic dress fit in the game that unintentionally you can have something inspired by her. It was similar to my Australian Open outfit this year. Some people thought it was inspired by her, which it wasn't.

I feel like Serena is such an icon that everybody can have inspiration from her, like she's the original. Yeah, I take it as an acknowledgment. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and be like, Yeah, we took this picture and we wanted to do that.

But I will say that she's just done everything in tennis when it comes to style that at some point sometimes things just look similar because she's done it all.

Q. Did you design your outfit this year?

COCO GAUFF: No, this year was all New Balance. I told them I wanted to play with cutouts because there's not much you can do with the white. That was all them. I usually kind of tell them. I don't really ever design anything. I don't draw it. I tell them what I want and then they kind of, like, put it into a nice way.

Q. More of a technical question. During your match you actually did hit a lot of lob shots. Was that done intentional or was it something that you and Brad talked about?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, for today, playing against her, she likes to play first-strike tennis. A lot of times when you play these big hitters they like the ball at one height. It was intentional to change the height on her.

Q. Could you share with us what books you have been reading. Also our friend Brad, great personality in the game, can you give us a fun update on any new superstitions.

COCO GAUFF: So books, I'm reading 'Small Worlds' currently. I read RuPaul's autobiography. Viola Davis I've read. Then 'Fourth Wing', a couple fictional books.

With Brad, I did give him a little crap about his shoes that he wore yesterday. I said they were ugly. He was like offended today. He has on some better shoes. I think he was wearing some Dongs today. I think they look better.

Superstitions? He doesn't have many. He doesn't like if I start serving before I hit overheads. That's the one thing he hates because he thinks my shoulder is going to fall off if I don't do it. Sometimes I intentionally don't do it just to make him mad. I think that is just a thing, if you tell me not to do something, I kind of will do the opposite.

Yeah, we always like to make fun of Brad. He takes it good. He just laughs. I think now he's catching up on my sarcasm. He knows when I'm joking now.

Q. What would you say is the biggest way in which things changed for you by winning a Grand Slam title?

COCO GAUFF: I think a lot of pressure, like, lifted I think because that was something that I had a lot of expectations on myself to do. Same with other people. Although I feel still young and felt young, I guess I felt like I needed it to happen, like, now.

I never wanted to take my career or any moment for granted. I never wanted to say, Well, I'll get there eventually, and then it never happens. There's a lot of players in the past that have had that happen to them.

I take every moment seriously, every semifinal, every quarterfinal. I don't go in thinking I will have many more, just relax, because you don't know that, nothing is promised.

I think having that I just feel like, regardless of whatever happens in my career, I'll always have that to my name.

I have a lot more aspirations obviously than just winning one. I think the start of one just gives you a taste and gives you the belief that you can do it again.

Q. You won an impressive of 80% points at the net. Will we see you venturing more into the net as the tournament progresses?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I do like going to the net. It is something I am working on. Obviously, like, playing doubles has helped me a lot. I do feel like I start volleying better once I get some doubles matches in. Maybe I'll do it some more because I think I play doubles tomorrow. I just always find that I just feel more comfortable once I get, like, one doubles match in because I get some balls hit at me and I can kind of feel it out.

I do like being at the net, especially on grass.