Tennis - US Open 2024 - Coco Gauff : "I read the Bible every day"
Tenante du titre à l'US Open, Coco Gauff est en deuxième semaine à la maison. Les choses sérieuses débutaient au troisième tour, vendredi soir. L'Américaine est venue à bout d'Elina Svitolina, souvent très appliquée dans les grands rendez-vous. Un duel à la hauteur des espérances. L'Ukrainienne a même remporté la première manche, avant de s'écrouler en perdant 10 des 14 derniers jeux (3-6, 6-3, 6-3). Une belle performance de Gauff, qui se rapproche d'un doublé. Le plus dur reste à faire mais la première semaine est très encourageante.
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00:00Yeah, so, I mean, I knew that I, I don't know how I think I feel like I lost like eight
00:07points in a row, the end of the first set, I don't really know the exact number, probably
00:11more. So I knew I needed a reset at that point. So yeah, I just went and use the bathroom
00:16change my the bottom half of my clothes and splash some water on my face and felt like
00:23a new person coming out. And yeah, I just didn't want to leave the court with any regrets.
00:27Okay. Congratulations. Once again, we have a big room name and affiliation. One question
00:32so I can get to as many people as possible. I'm not going to be able to get around to
00:36the room for a follow up. Okay, Charlie.
00:39I just wondered, you've been on a run of losses against highly ranked top 50 opponents. Were
00:47you aware of that? And how significant ended this victory for you?
00:51Oh, no, I wasn't aware of it. I mean, I'm the type of person I don't like or player
00:57that I don't really look at rankings or any of that. I treat everybody the same. So yeah,
01:02but I guess like for me, yeah, it was a great win, just because I know Alina is a tough
01:08player to beat like at any stage, but especially a Grand Slam in the early earlier round, she's
01:13done had done really well the last couple months on tour. So yeah, and every time I
01:20play her, it's a tough match. So I was happy to get through.
01:23Howard.
01:24Hi Coco, Howard Fenbridge with the Associated Press. You had a few of those comebacks last
01:33year on the way to the title here, dropping the first set and turning things around. First,
01:39is that in your mind at all? Do you remember having that feeling and being able to do it?
01:45And does that help you at all? And also, what do you think is the key for you to be able
01:50to keep producing those sorts of comebacks?
01:53Yeah, no, it was in my mind today gave me a lot of confidence, just because, you know,
01:59felt like deja vu a little bit. So yeah, it kind of felt like, I think I won the first
02:05set against Caroline Wozniacki, but it felt like that match today, honestly, just, you
02:10know, they're completely different players, but they kind of play similar in a way just
02:14making it a lot of balls can hit, you know, some winners a couple times. So I did have
02:18deja vu when it came to that match. So it gave me confidence today for sure.
02:22Courtney Nguyen, WTA Congrats Coco. How different is it? Are you feeling the pressure before your
02:30first round match compared to like now? Does the pressure of defending kind of dissipate
02:35with the wins or does it ramp up, you know, because you're getting deeper in the tournament?
02:38I feel the same throughout the tournament. It didn't, I feel like I had no pressure on,
02:46like, is pressure? Yes. But I didn't feel like it was so much when I started my first
02:50round, honestly. Speaking, I think it felt nerves, but it felt like normal first round
02:55nerves as I always get in first round of slams, which I last week, I always say, if this tournament
03:01started a week earlier, I felt like it would have been different because I was just in
03:04a completely different head space. But yeah, now that I'm in it, I mean, I'm just taking
03:09it one match at a time. I think from past or last year, I've learned that you can't
03:13look too far ahead because it's still a long journey and it's going to be a long journey.
03:18Even on championship point, it's going to feel like a mile away.
03:21Ava.
03:22Hi, Coco. David King, Tennis.com. You got the break in the second set. The crowd was
03:26right behind you to lift you up. And I'm just curious if you could talk about your connection
03:29to the crowd and how it might be different on Ash relative to other courts.
03:32Yeah, obviously. I mean, Ash is a very American court and they're always rooting for the American
03:38usually and especially me. So yeah, they really got behind me. And also, I think it
03:45was the fashion that I broke. I think I hit a winner on the return and then another winner
03:50on the break point, I think. So I think that just got them into it. And I felt like that
03:55I was on the verge of breaking the whole match. Like that one game in the first set, I have
03:5940-15 and I missed two backhand, really bad backhand errors. So I did feel like I was
04:06in it the whole match on the verge of breaking. So finally, to do that, I think I obviously
04:11had a great reaction and the crowd just got behind me with that.
04:14Ava.
04:15Coco Wallace, The Washington Post. Congrats, Coco. How much – obviously, you played Emma
04:21next. How much of your guys' match at Wimbledon will you reflect on? What do you kind of take
04:25away from that match? And then how do you know Paige and AZ? They were sitting in your
04:30box today.
04:31So with Emma, yeah. I feel like that match at Wimbledon, I think I mentally just literally
04:37collapsed on the court. I was very frustrated. And she played well. That was, I think, to
04:44me, the best tennis she played, like that tournament. Obviously, I didn't see her first
04:49round but I watched a little bit of her second and third. So I think that was the best she
04:54played that week. Yeah. So I think going into this match, I have to expect her to play her
05:00best tennis and I just need to know that I need to bring it and mentally be there from
05:05the beginning to the end because she's going to be a tough opponent.
05:07Yeah. Paige and AZ, I've known them on social media for a while. Obviously, they're very
05:13good at what they do in basketball at UConn. So I knew that they were coming today and
05:19I got to meet them finally in person like after the match. That was the first time I
05:22met them in person. Yeah. They were sitting in my box. It was really cool. I think I got
05:28some of the good vibes from them to help me, back me through. Paige, I saw Paige and both
05:32of them like standing up, getting out their seats. So it was great to have that support
05:36and hopefully I can return the favor at one of their games.
05:39All right. We'll go to this side of the room then back, Willie, and then Craig.
05:42All year long, you put in a ton of work to prepare for the majors. But when you get to
05:48this tournament, how would you describe the degree of work and the type of work you do
05:54to go deep?
05:55Yeah. I think for me, it's obviously I went out on the practice court after today's match
06:01and then the day before. It's kind of a balance of saving yourself physically. So you kind
06:06of just, like today, I felt like my last match, I didn't serve great. When I hit serves, I
06:11served a lot better today. Today, I felt like I was missing a lot of backhands. When I hit
06:15backhands and a little bit more serves and hopefully my next match, I'm going to do both
06:20of them great. So it's kind of just a feeling based thing because obviously, I sometimes
06:25I'll spend like three, four hours on the court, like an off tournament or not non-tournament
06:30week, but obviously you can't do that during the tournament because you got to physically
06:33stay fit for the matches and fresh. So yeah, it's kind of just very specific base and not
06:39a lot of reps, but kind of enough where you feel good about it.
06:42Craig.
06:44Craig Gabriel, Channel 9 Australia. Do you approach this tournament as the defending
06:52champion or as a brand new tournament?
06:56A brand new tournament. I mean, at the end of the day, I mean, to defend would be great,
07:01but I feel like it's an unnecessary amount of pressure to put that on yourself. If anything,
07:08I felt more pressure, honestly, coming into Wimbledon, losing first round the year before,
07:14and then trying to not lose first round again. So I think when you, there was a little bit
07:19of pressure maybe two weeks ago, but when you step on the court, you just had that feeling
07:23and it's like, okay, I know I can perform really well here. I've done it before in the
07:27past and I'll do it again. So yeah, that's been my model. Like I know I have the chance
07:32to do it again, whether it happens 2024 or years in the future. I think I just, I have
07:37the belief that I will do it again and I take comfort in that knowing even if it doesn't
07:42happen this year that I can do it because I felt like last year when I was playing,
07:47it wasn't my best tennis at all and I was able to do it. So I think I'm a better player
07:51than I was last year. So yeah, I feel like I have a better chance. Now, will I do it?
07:56We'll see you guys in a couple of, I don't know, a week from now. No, a week, no, seven,
08:01eight days from now or not. We'll find out and I'll find out with you.
08:08In the back, Matt.
08:09Hey Coco, Matt Futterman for The Athletic. Just sort of two questions about, you mentioned
08:14your box before. There was a moment in the first set where you just sort of walked away
08:18and said stop. I was sort of curious what you were telling them to stop to do and then
08:23towards the end, I don't know if you noticed during the changeover, your mother was standing
08:27up and dancing in front of 24,000 people. I'm curious if you see that at all.
08:33I did not see that. I guess, good. Honestly, no. I think the whole model of the team is
08:40just to be relaxed and sometimes I do say stuff out of frustration, but it's not what
08:45they're doing because sometimes I'll go to the towel and I just don't want to hear anything.
08:48I just need a reset. So in that moment, I was like, I don't need instruction right now.
08:52I just need to silence on my end because I feel like as a player, you know what you need
08:59to do to win. It was just about executing. They were telling me the same thing that they
09:04were telling me the whole match. I didn't see my mom dancing, but yeah, I think for
09:10the most part, we try to be relaxed, especially not my team, like my parents and the people
09:15in the box. Even, I think it was my cousin. She was just, she shouted like, chin up, cry
09:21on, whenever the moments are tough. Yeah, just little things make you smile and make
09:27you realize that it is just a game.
09:29Okay, Reem, Tamani, Barbara, Reem.
09:31Hi Coco, I'm Reem from the National UAE. Congrats.
09:33Thanks.
09:34Coco, you're in contention for the WTA Finals. And I'm wondering, how do you see these particular
09:41WTA Finals in terms of how important are they for, first of all, the players to regain trust
09:46in the tour after the last couple of editions? And have there been conversations between
09:51you and other players, just thinking of what you envision for this first one?
09:55Yeah, hopefully it is a good finals. My last two experiences have not been the best, honestly
10:01speaking, with the last two times, but yeah, we've been speaking really in contact with
10:06leaders from Saudi and also WTA and having a lot of player meetings to make sure it's
10:11a great experience for us players and fans and doing, they have a lot of community outreach
10:18things planned and just trying to bring more, I guess, awareness to the sport for the girls
10:25and guys out there in Saudi. So yeah, I'm looking forward to, I mean, I feel like in
10:31order to, I guess, enact a dream or for a kid to see a dream, they have to see it in
10:37person for, obviously you guys all saw that video of me a long time ago here. So hopefully
10:43I guess the goal for this to come out and a lot of the people are hoping that there
10:47is a player or a kid that comes out from Saudi and able to say like this WTA Finals changed
10:54my outlook or made me realize I had a dream or a possibility in this sport. And I think
10:59that's what tennis is all about. It's a global sport. Literally we have, I don't know how
11:04many countries represented in this sport, but probably more so than any sport, honestly.
11:09I don't know the stats, but I would like to bet my money on that. So yeah, it's great
11:13to kind of reach parts of the world and bring our community there too.
11:18All right, Tamani and then Barber.
11:20Hi Coco, Tamanika from The Guardian. I saw on TV that you said that you wrote in your
11:25journal that you didn't want to have any regrets before this match. How much do you actually
11:30journal and how helpful is that to your career? And I guess separately, how do you ensure
11:36that you don't have any regrets?
11:37Yeah, so I have like two journals. I like read the Bible every day. So I'll do that
11:41every day. And then I have like a personal one where I just write maybe every other day.
11:45I usually do it like the night before I play. And yeah, and I think for me, it's just been
11:50something I've been trying to do more. I've always done it, but just do it more frequently
11:54because it just kind of holds you accountable for your feelings and your thoughts and the
11:58things that you want to do. And yeah, just like every match I've been going in, I just
12:02don't want to leave it with any regrets. I want to truly leave it all out there on the
12:07court because there are matches you go and you play and you lose and you're like, I mentally
12:12wasn't here or there. And I rather, they're probably going to be, I'm going to leave the
12:16court regrets and like, oh, I wish I made this shot or I wish I made that. And that's
12:20completely fine because those are things that you can't really control in the moment. But
12:25I guess more for an emotional and mental approach, I don't want to leave any regrets and say
12:29I gave it my complete all. And at the end of the day, that's all I can do.
12:33Barbara.
12:34Coco, Barbara Barker from Newsday. The way you played in the second, third match against
12:41a quality or a difficult opponent, I mean, is that the best you've played in a while?
12:45And does that give you some confidence going forward? And what do you take from that?
12:49Yeah. I mean, it's for sure. I guess the hard court swing has definitely been the best
12:54match that I played in one against like a high quality opponent. And yeah, I had to
12:59play very good tennis to get out. And you know, there's some moments where like she
13:04hits shots and I'm just like, that's just too good. Or you think you hit a good shot
13:07against her and she hits an even better one back. So she is one of those opponents that
13:11you have to earn. She never makes it easy. And I think honestly, I'm glad that I had
13:17that match because I think it just makes me match tough and gets me ready probably for
13:22future challenges. And I know my next round won't be an easy one either. So it is good
13:27to have, I guess, this match under my belt as the tournament continues.
13:31I only have time for one more. Gentleman in the back.
13:34Hi Coco, Eugene Blasping Global. Well played today. I'm just wondering, you're not playing
13:39doubles at this tournament. I just want to know if your routine's changed up. And looking
13:44ahead to next year, will you be looking to play more doubles? And just to follow up,
13:48Ben and Francis are currently a settle. I just want to know who you've got for that
13:51match.
13:52Yeah. Doubles. Yeah, I'm not playing. It does change my routine. It feels nice to have like
13:57an off day, a real off day. I don't know. I probably won't play as much anymore. Like
14:03my goal was to always win a double slam. And it's kind of one of those things where
14:08I'm just like, I don't know if I'll maybe play every now and then. I don't know if I've
14:11had the motivation to go weekend and week out anymore like I was doing it. And yeah,
14:17it is nice mentally to have like a break in between like not competing and just go out
14:22and practice and work on the things. I still want to, I want to do mixed maybe once next
14:27year here or won't be. I feel like I could have, I could be nice to win a mixed slam
14:32slam to complete the cabinet, I guess. But yeah. And for the Ben and Francis match, I
14:37have no, I no idea. They both been playing great tennis. I watched Francis play in Cincinnati
14:42when he beat Holger and I've watched Ben play the last two matches and they're both playing.
14:47I think probably the best they've played all year. So I definitely think it's going to
14:51go five sets. I would say now who wins, I don't know, but hopefully it's not too strenuous
14:57where, cause you know, they probably most likely will be playing Novak next and that
15:01will take a lot of energy to thank you everyone.