“Could have easily thrown in the towel” – Coco Gauff on her comeback win over Clara Burel in Indian Wells opener
Coco Gauff has claimed that she was on the cusp of admitting defeat against Clara Burel in her Indian Wells opener on Saturday, March 9.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Gauff took the court against Burel for a place in the pre-quarterfinals at Indian Wells. The American had her serve broken thrice in the opening set as Burel took a 1-0 lead.
Gauff's misery continued as she lost the first game on serve in the second set. However, she fought back and broke her opponent twice in turn and secured the set to level things up.
The American was under the pump once again in the deciding set as Burel took a 4-0 lead with two breaks of serve. Gauff then had to crawl her way back as she canceled both breaks to send the set into a tiebreaker.
Burel faltered early on in the tiebreaker and failed to recover in time as Gauff eventually crossed the line to earn a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) win. After the match, Gauff faced the media and stated she kept herself motivated throughout.
"I think for me it's just getting through that match definitely meant a lot. Could have easily thrown in the towel. But honestly, I was just telling myself, like, win or lose, I don't want to have any regrets on the court. I want to be like I gave myself the best opportunity to win, and I did that," Coco Gauff said in her post-match press conference.
The 19-year-old further suggested that she fared well in the tournaments where she had tough fights in the first match, citing her win against Laura Siegemund in the first round of the 2023 US Open as an example.
"Well, honestly in the past. I mean, the last tournaments I have done well usually I have a tough opening first round, especially with the biggest one was US Open," Gauff added.
Coco Gauff: "Am I proud of how I played? Not really, to be honest, but the fight, I am proud of"
Further during her post-match press conference at Indian Wells, Coco Gauff noted that there's a lot of room for improvement in her game even though she was content with the win over Clara Burel on Saturday.
"Am I proud of how I played? Not really, to be honest, but the fight, I am proud of. I am eager to improve. I think it wasn't my best tennis at all. I think I just have a lot of improvement that I can do to get better," she said, via the aforementioned source.
Coco Gauff will next take on Italy's Lucia Bronzetti, who downed Magdalena Frech and Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets in the previous rounds at Indian Wells. It will be her first-ever meet with Bronzetti on the WTA Tour.