"As a person, Jess is probably one of the best out there" - Coco Gauff expresses her admiration for doubles partner Jessica Pegula
Coco Gauff is going strong on both the singles and the doubles front at the 2023 Indian Wells. She defeated Czech player Linda Noskova to enter the Round of 16 of the tournament.
Both players have had a successful partnership this season. They reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and lifted the trophy at the Qatar Open for the second consecutive time.
In a post-match press conference, the American was all praise for her doubles partner. The duo have often exchanged kind words about each other in public. When asked about how Pegula inspires and helps her, the 19-year-old stated that she admired her compatriot as a person, including her ability to tell anyone off.
"As a person, Jess is probably one of the best out there, I think, especially where she comes from. Not that you should, but she could just tell everyone, like, F off," she said.
She added that her partner was "one of the nicest people ever" who knew how to deal with her and guided her like an older sister.
"She's like one of the nicest people ever. Someone, she's older than me. You know, she deals with all my antics when I try and say certain things. In a way, like, she does, in a way, she's like my on-tour older sister in a way," she said.
She expressed gratitude for enjoying a good relationship with the World No. 3 both on and off the court and felt glad that they only had good things to say about each other.
"I'm, like, grateful that I can be our doubles partner, and we have created that relationship. Yeah, and I'm glad that she said some great things about me, because I definitely feel the same way about her," she ad
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula enter R3 of the doubles at Indian Wells 2023
American duo Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will square off against partners Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi in the third round of the 2023 Indian Wells on Monday, March 14.
They will come into the match after their straight-set victory over Czech players Markéta Vondroušová and Miriam Kolodziejová.
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Gauff/Pegula pick up the straight sets win!
#TennisParadise https://t.co/WGOzy086UJ
The Japanese and Indonesian duo also won in straight sets in the previous round, beating their opponents 6-2, 6-0.
Both teams have met twice on the court and their head-to-head stands at 2-0 in the Americans' favor.