C. GAUFF/M. Kostyuk
6-4, 6-1
THE MODERATOR: Coco, please share your thoughts on today's match.
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I'm really happy with how I played today. It was a pretty straightforward match. Marta and I always have some good battles. Today I was able to get through in straight sets.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Next up you have Linette. You played once in 2021. What do you remember of that match?
COCO GAUFF: Who won?
Q. You did. Three tight sets.
COCO GAUFF: Where?
Q. US Open. 6-4 in the third.
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I remember it now. Yeah, I kind of remember (smiling).
I don't know. I won't take anything from that match, it's so long ago. I practiced with her multiple times in between. She lives in south Florida.
Yeah, so she's a tough opponent. We haven't played since then. I really don't know what to expect. But just from watching her play, she's been playing a great couple of matches here in Wuhan.
I expect it to be a tough match. She's not an easy opponent to play.
Q. You talk about how plugged in you are with some of the fan discourse online. Did you notice that in the bio about Matt, they say one of his specialties was changes in grip. Is that something you're interested in experimenting with or something you're looking to do in the off-season?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I saw they found that. I don't want to give too much of what's going on, but there are changes happening. I've been playing with them, those changes, since Beijing.
Yeah, I'm very open. He has a lot of expertise in that area. Not honestly just that. He does really good at tactical stuff, mental side, too.
But yeah, Matt is great. We're changing stuff (smiling).
Q. I know you have family in Florida. Have you been following the news of the storm, if everything is okay with them?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I've been following the news. I live in south Florida, so it's not hitting too hard there. There are some tornadoes going on. I'm thinking a lot about those in central and the west coast of Florida. I know it's supposed to be hit hard, especially in the Temple area.
I don't know when the last time a big hurricane this bad hit Florida. Floridians are pretty hurricane strong. My grandparents sat through a lot of hurricanes. Like I said, we live in the south side of Florida, so we will be okay. I know the other parts of Florida, they're hitting hard.
I posted some shelters on my Twitter and Instagram for people to be able to go to, all types of shelters, pets, those with special needs, everything.
Hopefully those who were ordered to evacuate evacuated. I know Floridians are very stubborn people, so I know there are some people that are staying. I just pray there are no lives lost. Obviously I don't want anybody's home to be destroyed. At the end of the day it's property and can be replaceable.
Q. On grips, I feel like every player's grip is unique. In your experience, how much of the way you currently grip the racquet was natural or something you learned to do when you were younger?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think it's natural. I know, like, people who don't really play tennis, there's a right way to hold the racquet. Obviously there's maybe a way that you want to go. But if you look at all the people playing on tour, we all hold the racquets differently. Super successful.
For me, it's more focus on my serve. Yeah, but like I said, Matt... Everybody has their own comfort zone. There's no right way to do it. You have to do what's comfortable. Maybe you can go too far one way and too far another. There's not exact centimeter that you can be like, Yeah, this is the right way for everybody to hold the racquet because everybody hits different.
Just there's no perfect swing. Roger, Novak, Rafa, big three, best tennis players all hit the ball completely different from each other. It just shows there's no right way to play tennis. At the end of the day you just have to enhance what you do.
Q. Tennis players are exceptionally well-traveled, but for the most part remain in a bubble between the hotel and the stadium. What, if anything, do you do to take advantage of those opportunities to expand your cultural horizon without sacrificing the tennis?
COCO GAUFF: For me the most important is I try to do stuff before the tournament starts. Usually when I lose, I'm ready to leave. That's something I have to get better at.
Usually before I try to. Here in Wuhan it was tough because I had to go straight from Beijing. I probably won't be able to do anything much this year.
Beijing, before I went to the Great Wall. We woke up, went at like 7 in the morning. Then we did the Forbidden City. I know that was like a tournament thing, but the Great Wall was on my own.
I wanted to go to the Summer Temple, too, but I have to save some stuff to do for next year. For me, it's something I've learned the importance of. Former players would say all the time to me that they regret not taking advantage of the experiences traveling. That was like the biggest advice. People give tennis advice, but honestly maybe appreciate just life more. I think if you go too much from bubble to stadium, it makes you think your life only revolves around tennis.
Sometimes as athletes, we'll punish ourselves by not doing anything, because we have to be ultra focused. Honestly, in a practice week I'll go to movies, do something with my friends. There's never any point in tennis that I'm ultra focused on tennis, so I try to treat the tournament like that, too.
Q. Into the final eight. You talked about Beijing being a champion. Coming into Wuhan, do you feel more pressure or more motivation? What's your mentality and what is your goal for this tournament?
COCO GAUFF: I think going into Wuhan, I feel no pressure, no anything, just because Beijing, it's over, it's in the past. I think when you're coming into this tournament, if you look at some of the players who made the semifinal, almost all of them, except me and Qinwen, pulled out because it's such a quick turnaround.
It wasn't really a thought in my head. I just wanted to push myself how I could play while I am tired because I am tired, I'm not going to sit here and lie.
Like I said in the previous press conference, when you come on court, all of that goes away. Afterwards it might hit you or before it might hit you. But I love to compete and push myself. I think this is a good test for me. So I have no expectations going into this.
Q. Coming from Beijing to Wuhan, it's a higher temperature in Wuhan. What is your view on the difference in temperature?
COCO GAUFF: It's definitely hotter here in Wuhan. But I'm from Florida, so honestly before we left, it was so hot in Florida, I was dying every practice, going through multiple shirts and everything.
So coming here, it feels like Florida in the winter. It's something I'm very used to. Honestly, this is the weather I'm used to. More so in Beijing, I don't really like when it's too cold.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports