Coco Gauff after 1st round win at US Open 2021: "The reason why I'm here is because of Serena and Venus Williams"
Coco Gauff has time and again talked about how much of an inspiration Venus and Serena Williams have been for her. The US Open 2021 marks the first time since 2003 that neither of the two sisters will be playing their home Slam.
While Serena is nursing a torn right hamstring, Venus has a leg injury that has kept her out of the year's final Major.
For the fast-rising Coco Gauff, who has modeled parts of her game after Venus and Serena, not having either of them in the draw is a big disappointment. Following her 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Magda Linette in the first round of the US Open, Gauff was asked to share her thoughts on the absence of the Williams sisters.
The World No. 23 admitted that the news of their withdrawal came as a shock to her, especially since she has so many childhood memories of watching them play in New York.
"I do remember coming here since I was eight years old pretty much every year coming to watch them really," Gauff said. "That's probably the only reason why we spent so much money on tickets and travel, is to watch them play."
"Not easy to see (their withdrawal), especially for me, since I'm a big fan," she added. "Obviously the reason why I'm here is because of them. So I guess it's a little bit weird not having at least one of them play. But I wish both of them a speedy recovery. I will say the news was definitely shocking for me and I was a tad bit disappointed."
Gauff then went on to recollect the time when, as an eight-year-old, she got a ball from one of Venus' matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I do remember I sat first row on Arthur Ashe," Gauff said. "My dad spent a lot of money on good tickets. I remember when they pass out all the balls at the end of the match, I think one of the balls bounced back on the court because it sometimes happen. This is my assumption, I don't know if it's true, but it looked like she told the ball kid to give it to me because the ball kid directly gave the ball to me. I just remember being so excited. This was Venus."
The teenager added that she's seen Serena play "a couple of times" at the stadium court of the US Open.
"Then Serena I've seen a couple of times on Ashe," Gauff said. "That's probably the most significant memory I would have as a kid watching them play."
"Facing her I guess is going to be a full-circle moment" - Coco Gauff on 2r opponent Sloane Stephens
Up next for Coco Gauff is another very familiar name - Sloane Stephens. Gauff and Stephens go back a long way; the two have a lot of things in common, right from attending each other's birthday parties to starting their respective tennis careers with the same coach.
Coco Gauff opened up about her relationship with the former US Open champion, who earlier on Monday battled her way past fellow American Madison Keys in a rematch of the 2017 final.
"I do remember when I was 10 years old, I had a birthday party at a water park, and she came to it, which is really cool," Gauff said about Stephens. "All my friends were excited that Sloane Stephens is at your birthday, professional tennis player. It was really cool. I've also been to a couple of her birthday parties, family get-togethers, I would say, when she was turning 20-something. Somewhere in the 20s...I think I was like 11 or 12."
"I've known her for a long time," she added. "Her and I started with the same coach, Sly Black, he coached me until at least I was 13. I have a good relationship with her. Facing her I guess is going to be a full-circle moment just because I was young when I met her, and now we're going to be playing on the biggest stage, one of the biggest stages, on Wednesday."
Gauff also claimed she is ready to deal with the pace and frequency of shots coming back from the other end of the court when the two face off on Wednesday.
"Obviously a very athletic player and super fast," Gauff commented on Stephens' style of play. "I know I'm going to have to expect a lot of balls to come back. She's definitely going to redirect the ball. I think we're both ready. I think it will be an exciting match."
"Today was probably one of the most nervous I've been for a match" - Coco Gauff
Regarding her own first-round win over Magda Linette, Coco Gauff conceded that she was a bundle of nerves in the initial parts of the match. The Parma champion was trailing by a set and a break before she managed to steady the ship.
Gauff credited the crowd for helping to soothe her nerves.
"I don't know, today was probably one of the most nervous I've been for a match just because everything leading up to the US Open is always so big and grand," Gauff said. "So I came, and I didn't want to disappoint all the supporters I had out there cheering me on."
"Then I just realized I just need to enjoy it," she added. "The people in the stands looked like they were enjoying the match. I think I needed to enjoy it as much as they were."
"I would say Patrick is kind of like the overseer" - Coco Gauff on Mouratoglou
Although Coco Gauff is coached by her father Corey, she also occasionally works with Patrick Mouratoglou - the man who has Serena Williams and Stefanos Tsitsipas under his wing too. Mouratoglou's expertise has given Gauff's career the edge it needs and has propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 23, where she is perched currently.
While explaining how Mouratoglou has been instrumental to her success, the youngster called him the "overseer."
"I would say Patrick is kind of like the overseer," said Gauff. "Definitely I feel like when it comes to tennis, obviously when I'm on the court with him, he gives me pointers here and there. When it comes to the specifics, he definitely talks to my dad more and then my dad passes the message along so there's not so many voices in my head."
"I don't really see Patrick that often," she added. "But, yeah, he definitely helps a lot. He also helps with getting the right people on my team, figuring out who and what I need to help me succeed. He definitely uses that knowledge that he has from his past coaching experiences to help me, and I guess Stefanos, as well, too."