Coco Gauff feeling neither like a vet nor the new kid as she begins hunt for maiden Grand Slam at Australian Open 2023
Coco Gauff feels that she is neither a veteran nor a new kid on the block at the 2023 Australian Open, as the player considers herself to be somewhere in the middle of the line.
Gauff has made consecutive appearances at the Major Down Under ever since 2020. Even though the American is just 18 years old, she has endured three quality campaigns at the Grand Slam so far in her career, soaking up valuable experience.
During a meeting with the press ahead of the championship, the World No. 7 opened up about whether she sees herself as a veteran or as a rookie among the other competitors.
"I don't think I feel like quite a vet, but I don't feel like I'm the new kid. I feel like I'm in the middle of the pack," conveyed Coco Gauff.
The ASB Classic champion acknowledges that she is much younger than the rest of the players. However, she made it clear that she has superior experience than a lot of them when considering the number of years each have under their belt playing in the Australian Open, pointing to Ben Shelton as an example.
"It's kind of weird. Like, compared to other players, I mean, obviously I still have a lot less years than them. But there's some, like I was joking about this last night. I did mini golfing with Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks. This is his first time out of the country."
"He played main draw US Open, but first time out of the country. I was just saying like, I'm a vet compared to you, even though he's older than me. I think I've been on tour four years now," added the teenager.
"The main thing is just accepting the circumstances" - Coco Gauff on the challenges she expects at the Australian Open
Coco Gauff identifies that accepting the conditions in Australia and adapting to that is one of the major challenges she is expecting to face in the tournament.
The American conveyed that several external factors, including the hot weather Down Under, can have an adverse effect on the game and it is important to accept such circumstances.
"I think the main thing is just accepting the circumstances. You never know how you're going to feel in these first couple matches. Especially just the way the weather is, like today is super hot, but the days we've been practicing have not been hot. You don't know what you're going to get. I think you just have to accept it," Gauff stated to the press.
The 18-year-old just hopes to be "present in the moment," and has declared that she will not have any expectations beforehand heading into the Grand Slam.
"I'm just hoping to see myself on the court, being present in the moment, not looking too far in the future. I think I've done a good job of that last week in Auckland. I'm hoping to do that here, just enjoying the present and not looking too far in the past or too far in the future," the American expressed.
Coco Gauff will face Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.