AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2025

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

P. BADOSA/C. Gauff

7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Coco, tough one. Just your overall thoughts on the match and what you found challenging on the court today.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, Paula was playing great. You know, maybe some moments in the first set could have gone my way, could have been a different outcome in the first set.

Yeah, I think it's just a lot more work to do, but I'm obviously disappointed, but I'm not completely crushed. I'm looking forward to a lot.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Just in terms of errors and stuff you were making, did something feel off in your rhythm or technique, and how are you trying to adjust that as the match was going on?

COCO GAUFF: I feel like I was making a lot, especially in the net. Yeah, I think it was a little bit the timing was a little bit off. I think I was hitting some balls too far in front almost, maybe playing a little bit too far back.

Yeah, I mean, that's it.

Q. You obviously were struggling with your forehand, and it seemed like you were kind of determined to continue attacking it. At the end of the match it seemed like you found a rhythm there. Is it important for you to play in that way, like thinking about the future, so that that becomes natural for you?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, definitely. I felt like I was setting up a lot of the points, you know, well and just the last ball, I mean, there was one at 40-15 I think I missed the net. Yeah, there was a lot of errors on that side.

I have to be aggressive. I feel like that's when I'm playing my best. That's how I won most of the matches so far the last few months is by playing aggressive.

Yeah, I think it's just being more comfortable with that. I'm making a shift in my game. I haven't always played that aggressive, so I have to expect early on. I do have faith that it will be more of an instinct instead of, like, a second guess, I guess.

Q. Tough one today. You had spoken a few times the last week and a half about sort of having a new perspective and that a tennis match is just a tennis match. I realize it's still pretty soon, but have you felt that? How has that realized itself, if you have or if you haven't, in the last in what's about an hour or so?

COCO GAUFF: Obviously it's tough right after. I'm still disappointed, but I think the way I played, even though it wasn't my best, I gave it my all on the court, so that's something to be proud of.

I fought until the end, so I think that's something they're going -- some matches are going to go my way; some are not. I think it's one of those things that, yeah, maybe a couple of years ago I would feel a lot more crushed and feel like the world is ending type sadness, but now I think it's just disappointed that I could have done a little bit better in some areas.

I mean, I tried my best with what I had today, and that's all I can do.

Q. You've played Paula a handful of times in the past. Was there anything that felt differently this time? What would you say she was doing that created difficulty for you today?

COCO GAUFF: I feel like our match in China to today was very similar. I was down a set and a break in China and just a couple of points went her way more today.

Yeah, I don't feel like she did anything different. Maybe she played better in some of the more important moments, but at the end of the day when you play somebody that many times, you know that they're not going to do much different.

So I don't think she played different. I just think that she just played better on some of the points. I had chances in the first set. I was up 30-Love one of those games, second serve return, and missed by a little bit. Who knows? Maybe if I won that game, it could be a different first set.

Yeah, and vice versa. If I didn't get broken so many times in that first set, it could have been -- it's just when I play her, I feel like it's just who can do better in those key moments, and today she did better in those key moments.

Q. I just wanted to ask, firstly, it feels quite different now than when we spoke to you after the US Open defeat, and also if that's your sense too? And, also, what's next for you the next few weeks, and how do you think you'll move on from this?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I feel like US Open I was playing with no solution, so I think that was more the frustrating part. Today I feel like I'm playing with solutions. I know what I need to work on.

US Open I needed to work on my serve. Not saying that my serve is where I want it to be, but I worked on it. Obviously a big improvement. So I want to continue working on that, continue working on playing aggressive margin.

Yeah, so I feel like I'm on the road to the right way, right path. I'm not crushed. I think US Open I felt from the start of the year to that point I feel like I had maybe not gone backwards. Yeah, backwards or a little bit stagnant. Even though I lost today, I feel like I'm in an upward trajectory.

I'm not crushed, but obviously it does feel bad when you feel like you're playing great tennis for the better start of this year to lose, but it is what it is. We'll get back to work.

Q. The next few weeks and what comes --

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead. There's Doha, Dubai. You know, the same thing every year. Try to, I guess, get better.

I'm going to go home and take a break. I've been playing a lot of tennis basically since the end of last year. So, yeah, take like a week off or something like that and then get back to work and get better.

I don't think Doha and Dubai is a priority. Obviously if I do well, great. Obviously the next thing is French Open, so try to progress for that.

Q. Tough luck today, but are there any positives that you can draw from this campaign? I mean, quarterfinals is not bad, after all.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. You're right, it's not a bad result. I think the better you do, the more you take for granted of this.

Yeah, I think some of the things -- I guess the positives I can take away is I had a tough draw. Wimbledon I had a tough draw, and I kind of succumbed to that. Same at US Open.

I feel like I was ready from the start of this tournament. Yeah, with each match I found solutions, even against Belinda. Wasn't playing, you know, my best, but I was able to turn it around. Then today I was close to doing that as well.

So there's a lot of things to be proud of, a lot of things to look forward to.

Q. What's the key for you in terms of detaching yourself because you've been very open about you're a work in progress, that despite your accomplishments, that there are things you want to work on? How do you detach that or focus on that despite all the expectations of what people think you're supposed to be doing at this age given your talents and things like that?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I guess you just have to realize that most of the internet coaches never coached anyone at my level or never played. So it's one of those things. It's easier to look on the outside, you know, all those things when you are playing and you're commentating.

You'll hear not commentators, but people saying, Oh, she should have made this or he should have made that. Even when I'm watching, I do that. Obviously when you're out there, it's different.

I think that's really the thing that I just take from it is I'm the one out there, and I'm the one who makes the decision at the end of the day. Yeah, if people want to say things, it is what it is.

I take it with a grain of salt. Some people do mean well, so I don't look at it as all bad. I'm proud of myself, and that's all I can say. I promise that I'm going to continue to try my best to improve and live up to my own expectations of myself and whatever everybody else has I'll whatever. I can't control that (smiling).

Q. There was that really long service game to start the second set. I just wanted to know what was going through your mind as you kept serving and it kept getting to deuce.

COCO GAUFF: I was just trying to make more first served on the ad side. I think obviously had a lot of game points that game. Pretty much I don't think I made many first serves on those game points.

So, yeah, then I was just trying to get through that game, honestly. I felt like I was getting closer and closer to breaking her. So obviously it's a little bit -- means more to break when you've held serve.

Yeah, I was just trying to, you know, just fight through that game, and it didn't go my way. It is what it is.