“I have lots of tennis left in me”: Gauff determined not to dwell on US Open success heading into Asian swing
Coco Gauff is not dwelling on her US Open success, and is instead focused on having a fruitful Asian swing ahead of the WTA Finals next month
(Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic)
Less than three weeks ago, Coco Gauff downed world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to become the latest US Open champion, winning the title in dramatic come-from-behind fashion.
For many players, this would have been the highlight of their careers, and a moment they’d cherish forever. But 19-year-old Gauff is hoping to do the exact opposite, as she looks to move on from the victory and focus on the upcoming Asian swing in the WTA Tour instead.
“I know I have lots of tennis left in me. I don’t want to just dwell on this. It was amazing, but it’s time to move on,” said Gauff, speaking to the media ahead of her Beijing Open debut this weekend.
Post-US Open period felt “weird” for Gauff
Following her success at the US Open, Coco Gauff revealed that she took her longest ever break away from the game—and found it “a little bit weird”.
“Once I got home, it was pretty chill. I took a week off, which is the longest I’ve ever taken off from tennis. It was a little bit weird having nothing to do. It was honestly a little bit weird, because it was just one of the biggest things in your life, then you go home and you’re back to cleaning and doing all the regular stuff that you do.”
Gauff explained that following her week off, she had the welcome distraction of a celebration with family and friends before getting back into her tennis.
“After that, right back to training and back to getting back to work, which honestly, I was eager to get back. A week was a long time for me to take off.”
Gauff: First Grand Slam is just the beginning, not the end
Coco Gauff first Grand Slam victory came off the back of a brilliant streak of form, colloquially dubbed “The Coco Summer”. Across the American hard-court swing, Gauff won her first WTA 500 event in Washington, then went on to win her first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, before finishing with a maiden Grand Slam title in New York.
The American has explained that despite her success, and the attention it has garnered her, she’s not letting it get to her head.
“I don’t feel any different,” Gauff said. “The first couple days I did, then once I got home, I was like, ‘OK, it’s back to normal.’
“I think maybe because my eagerness and my ambition is so high, I don’t want to end at just one [Slam].”
Gauff next shot at a Grand Slam is just around the corner at the Australian Open in January 2024, where her best finish is the round of 16. Until then, she has her debut Asian swing to focus on, with the Beijing and Zhengzhou Opens, followed by the WTA Finals in Cancun later in October.
The 19-year-old will face a tricky opening test at the Beijing Open, drawn against world No 21 Ekaterina Alexandrova in her first-round match. The pair share a 1-1 head-to-head, with Alexandrova coming to Beijing off the back of a quarter-final run in Tokyo.
