C. GAUFF/M. Sakkari
6-1, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Coco, great match out there today. You're into the round of 16 here. Just give us your keys to victory today.
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I thought overall it was a well-rounded match on my end. Tricky conditions. Honestly, playing with these balls is tough on the fast courts. So it was a combination of both. But, yeah I was glad to get out of that last game and be in the locker room.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Speaking of the last game, things were getting pretty tight, Maria was coming back from 1-5 down, and you could have easily, like, I guess, you know, dialed back, just tried to play lockdown tennis or rely on your defense or athleticism, but instead I felt like you were more aggressive, kept going after your second serves, using variety, coming to the net. Do you feel like the way that you approach the way you play tennis and play points has changed at all. Do you feel like you're a different type of player compared to maybe just at the start of this season?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, definitely I think just trying to incorporate aggression more into my game. I don't know, it's kind of a sense thing. I sensed that that was not going to work.
She started to raise her level, and her shots started to land in, so I felt like I had to be the aggressor.
Honestly, throughout most of the match I felt like I was the one doing that in the first place.
So, yeah, I think today I felt like that would not have sufficed in that scenario, and I preferred to go down more swinging today than other scenarios.
But, yeah, I think it's just more of a sensing the game and sensing your opponent. I felt like her level started to raise, so I felt like I needed to raise mine more.
Q. Along those lines, you had the double fault on match point. And then you were able to win that point at net, and then you had a smile to your box. Was there anything in particular that you were smiling about?
COCO GAUFF: I don't usually serve and volley (laughing). I don't know why I did that then. Yeah, it was just one of those calls where I probably would have been, like, Why did you do that in that moment.
But honestly, I've been trying to come to the net more. It worked really well for me at Wimbledon, so it is something I'm trying to incorporate.
I knew that if I hit a good serve wide that the return was going to come deep middle, and that's kind of where it landed. So I was just hoping, I didn't expect to get such a low volley, but, yeah, I feel like in that scenario that's just what I went with. And I kind of smiled because I was like, I can't believe I made that first volley.
The second one was, I knew I would make that one. So, yeah, that was where the smile came in, where it was just like, I never do that, and I do it at 5-4 deuce. Yeah, probably there, probably. Yeah, they asked me why I did it, too. I don't know (laughing).
Q. Wanted to ask you about last year when you brought Gavin MacMillan on, you said it was the best decision you could make for yourself at the time. With pretty much a year gone by, I'm just wondering how you feel about that decision now?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I feel like I've made the right decision. I feel like I'm serving much better. Obviously, I mean, I had the double at match point, but it was three doubles the whole match.
I felt like I won a lot of second serve points today. Obviously first serve was, I feel like almost every time I got it in, I was winning the point. So I feel a dramatic difference in that aspect of my game.
I just feel like the way him and JC work together, you know, it's been a collaborative project with my serve. I feel like they both brought ideas and different perspectives.
Then, overall with my game, I really do feel like I have the best team helping me make strides in my game, and they're telling me the right things. Then it's just implementing that when the pressure moments come. I feel like today I did a good job of doing that.
Q. JC's been part of your team for, feels like forever he's been part of your team. How important has he been for yourself, for your career, and your development for all these years?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think the main thing, well, obviously he's a great coach. But I feel like he really views me as a person, and, you know, instilling, like, personal belief.
Honestly, all those matches that I got through during Wimbledon, those tough three-setters and pressure was, a large part of it was because of him, just the belief he continues to reinforce. And maybe when I'm feeling more like an imposter of myself, he's always really instilling that into me.
Just the skills that he's been adding to my game, he's really helped me a lot with my net game, with kind of the hand part of my game, and playing heavy.
I don't know, I don't want to say French, but that's how they play with the French part of my game, just being really good at those tricky shots, and those net balls that maybe typical American tennis that we didn't really grew up learning. So I appreciate the perspective he's brought to my game as well.
Q. Going back to the serve and volley, but not necessarily that point. But it kind of, I guess, in tennis, it can be difficult, like, to preplan a point, or, like, execute, like, a play. Curious, how often are you like, Okay, I want to hit a dropshot on this point, or is it really just, like, can you even really do that, per se?
COCO GAUFF: All my dropshots are improvised. I don't really plan that. So that's for that.
But as far as like trying to execute a play. Yeah, I mean, honestly the first point at 5-4, I thought I hit a good enough serve wide and was planning to take that forehand down the line. But she blasted the return right to me. I didn't have any other play. So tennis is about improvising.
Yeah, I think today I did a good job of mixing up my serve, trying to set up for the plus one, and that's something I have been working on. I feel like today throughout the whole match I was doing that well.
Yeah, I did serve and volley a lot at Wimbledon, and it worked for me. So I wanted to transfer it to hard, and I didn't do it my last match, and I kind of regretted it. So today I was like, Let me do it. I don't know why at 5-4 deuce again, but it worked.
I don't recommend it though. Unless you're like Ben Shelton, who can do that, and volley pretty well. Yeah, but I'm not that, I'm not there yet.
Q. On court you were explaining that one person in the crowd kind of reminded you of your dad a little bit. Curious, how often are you listening to fans in the crowd, like, while you're on court, you're kind of like, are you able to, like, tune them out? Often times it's them, like, you know, trying to coach you, I guess. But how often are you like, Huh, that person, like, just, yeah, like, had a great comment, or didn't have a great comment?
COCO GAUFF: No, I kind of hear everything, honestly, that's being said, like, that's loud enough to reach the court. I kind of like it. I mean, most of the time it's good.
There's been times where people tell me, take your time, and stuff, and I've listened. Yeah, no, there was just someone in the crowd that reminded me of my dad. And, I don't know, he didn't say anything. Like, he was just like, Let's go, Co, or Keep going for it, Co. And the way he talked just sounded exactly like my dad, so I think that's good.
But, yeah, I appreciate all the comments people make. And it's kind of funny, too. Like, when you go to the towel box, it's right next to there, and they're kind of whispering something to you. I take most of it into account, and then try to discern what's good or not.
Q. Coming back to Gavin, so much gets made of how he can help players with their serve, but are there ways beyond the serve that he's helped you with?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, obviously the serve was the main focus that he was, like, trying to, I guess, attack. But also helping with my forehand. And just collaborating with JC just different ideas.
I feel like most of the time they both agree on the same thing, but maybe one has like a better delivery that reaches me a little bit better.
Same thing with my serve. I think, I can't remember what it was, but it was something on my serve that JC saw that maybe that Gavin, or, they both saw it, but just the way JC delivered it clicked for me. Sometimes it's not about like what you say, it's how you say it with a player.
You can say what to do so many times, but I feel like there could just be one thing that just clicks and it's like, Oh, now I understand.
So I think that's what they do well is just having two different perspectives.
And, honestly, I feel like sometimes, because JC, he speaks English well, but, you know, not like a hundred percent. And I feel like, because of that, he'll maybe say things like he's talking to like a five year old for me to understand. And it, like, really works perfectly. He doesn't do it on purpose, I don't think, but it really helps me a lot. Because sometimes you really need that, like, dumb breakdown to really understand it.
Q. I have to ask, because we ran into each other in the hall the other day, if you tried the chicken adobo.
COCO GAUFF: Oh, no, I didn't. I didn't. Yeah, I should, because I'm kind of getting tired of, like, the food here is good that they have in the lounge, but it's just the same menu every day. So I didn't. Honestly, it would be a good day, maybe I can ask somebody to grab it for me.
Q. It's good.
COCO GAUFF: It is? Oh, gosh, okay, I'm going to ask someone.
Q. We're kind of at the midpoint of the season, I'm curious how you would assess your season thus far, maybe compared to those seasons of, that of recent years. I know you haven't won a title, but you made strides at Wimbledon, and then at other tournaments, too. But, like, do you feel like this is maybe your best pre-Cincinnati season, for lack of a better word?
COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, I guess. I mean, I wish the clay would have went a bit better for me. I felt like I was a little bit disappointed in how that went.
But I think, as far as, like, other surfaces and stuff, I definitely think this is the best I've approached so far, like, pre-Cincinnati. I feel like even so far at this tournament, just playing a little bit better than I normally do at the start of this tournament. I think it's definitely the strides I'm making.
I feel like I'm becoming a better player. I feel like people are seeing that. I obviously have less doubles and things like that.
But, yeah, I wish I could have won a title. I think Rome is the one that stings the most because I just felt like I fell back in some old habits that match.
But other than that, I think I've become a better player. I think Wimbledon was a big stride for my career. So, hopefully I can continue that momentum. And especially on a surface I'm more comfortable with.
I think it's just reassuring myself that I belong where I am, and I'm nowhere near my peak yet, so just trying to do everything possible to reach that.
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