THE MODERATOR: Coco, how are you feeling about being at the WTA Finals?
COCO GAUFF: Really excited about being at the Finals again. Especially playing here at Indian Wells, familiar space, a player favorite for sure.
Just happy to be back here and hopefully have a good tournament.
THE MODERATOR: First question...
Q. It is your fifth straight Finals. Still only 22 years old. Do you ever stop and appreciate everything you've accomplished? Are you primarily focused on what's next?
COCO GAUFF: I mean, I think I'm always usually a focus on what's next type of person, but definitely here five times in a row is definitely something to be proud of because consistently being amongst the top eight players of the world for some time now, so...
I think definitely that's an accomplishment. I just think sometimes when you're in it, you don't really realize how big of a deal it is. There's moments when you look at the photos and stuff, you are just like, wow, I'm here. I grew up watching the tournament. It's been here for a second now.
Q. Being back in Indian Wells in general, obviously a place on tour that you're familiar with, but curious now with maybe right now it's a little bit less people, a little more quiet. How does the vibe being back at Indian Wells differ from March? Have you noticed any differences from adjusting to the courts from November to March?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely weird being here, finding a table to sit in players dining, just having a lot more space. It feels nice. Obviously it's going to be -- you know, we're in the quiet days right now, so it's nice to be, like, be around the site, actually enjoy the site, which we normally can't do.
Yeah, I'm just looking forward to playing on this court.
As far as differences? It feels very similar to March. I think it's warmer now than it typically is in March. Other than that, I feel like it's the same.
Q. I love talking to you at the WTA Finals because it's on the eve of your personal Super Bowl, Halloween. How was that for you? How did you use the time at home to both have fun, take a mental break, and get ready for this?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it was really cool. It was my first Halloween home since I think I started playing WTA Finals, so five years. It was nice to just be able to actually go out in my costumes, not just take pictures in them.
Yeah, I had a mix of rest and training while I was at home. Kind of treating it like the off-season for a little bit, then a little bit of a pre-season, too, just because right after this I have BJK Cup, then it's Thanksgiving, then it's time to start for pre-season again. Just trying to think I'm fresh for 2027.
Q. You posted a video or picture of you doing a particular drill with the balls, which I think was taken from Carlos Alcaraz. Which of your coaches is out scouting? What are other people doing in practice, how that stuff makes its way to you? I didn't know if it was JC or Gavin.
COCO GAUFF: It was actually neither. It was my fitness coach Fabian. I was thinking it was just for, like, his wrist. It was actually working on spacing, coordination with the ball and stuff.
Actually I didn't like it at first because I kept hitting the pole. Then I started to like it. I actually like talked to Carlos a little bit. He said he was messing up in the beginning a lot first, too, so that made me feel better about myself.
My team was like, If Carlos can do it, you can do it.
I'm like, He's Carlos and I'm me.
He doesn't post his bloopers.
Q. Was that after you posted?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, after I posted it. He messaged me. I had to get confirmation to make sure I wasn't the only one messing up.
Q. In addition to the trophy, there's a new good-looking car. Curious, what do you think of it? Having the opportunity to compete for a Mercedes-Benz?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, the car looked really cool. Honestly, I didn't really know it was a car was going to be a prize until we did, like, the photo shoot and we saw it.
It's really cool. Purple is my favorite color. I'm definitely going to be working extra hard to hopefully win that. Yeah, it's really cool to be a Mercedes ambassador. I'm able to compete in this tournament, and hopefully I'll come home with that.
Q. Your first match is going to be a player you know well in Jess. Is that level of familiarity easier or is it more complicated?
COCO GAUFF: I think it's more complicated in a sense. I mean, obviously it's good to play someone that you already faced before. I mean, new matchups are always difficult. But I feel like when you get to the point where you've played someone so many times, that's where it becomes really more difficult, just because of the fact that you got to capitalize on do things you do well, but also know they're going to change things, vice versa.
We know each other's games. I feel like tennis is already mental. When you play somebody so many times, it becomes even more mental because you're both trying to figure out to go away from your own patterns, because they know your patterns. If that makes sense...
Q. Did you find time during your busy preparation to vote?
COCO GAUFF: Of course, yeah. I posted. I did early voting. Actually, I have a mail-in ballot because I didn't know where I was going to be in the world. I actually was home, so I dropped it off at one of the early voting stations.
The whole family, I made sure everyone in my family voted. That's pretty easy with my family. Always been raised the importance of voting.
I'm glad that I think there was like voter record turnouts in some parts of the country. I'm very happy to see that, especially amongst my generation.
Q. In the spring the tennis ball here is a Dunlop ball. Now you're playing with Wilson. How much does that change things? Are you a player who is super sensitive to that sort of thing?
COCO GAUFF: No. I'm definitely probably the worst with that when it comes to the balls and the strings. People always ask me.
I definitely feel the difference. I'm a pro. I'm not completely a dud with that. I would say Jess is probably the best person to ask. She's the one always changing her racquets through matches and stuff. She's probably the best person to ask the difference.
I definitely think I prefer the Wilson, but we'll see how this tournament goes.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports