"Greatest gift to be out here and playing" - Emotional Coco Gauff cherishes Indian Wells win as early gift for 19th birthday
Coco Gauff gave herself the perfect gift ahead of her 19th birthday, a win in her third-round match at Indian Wells on Sunday. The American star turned a bit emotional as she expressed excitement over enjoying a great outing on the court on the eve of her birthday. For Gauff, playing tennis and winning is the 'greatest gift' she could get.
The World No. 6 beat fellow rising teenage star Linda Noskova 6-4, 6-3 to book her place into the last-16 at Indian Wells for the first time in her career. Gauff is in fine form this season, having won a title (Auckland), and reached another semi-final and a quarter-final already in 2023.
Gauff, who will celebrate turning 19 on Monday, March 13th, was visibly over the moon to be able to bring in her birthday by competing on tour. The youngster admitted that she always feels emotional on her birthday.
"It's really special, I know some of you guys know my birthday is tomorrow. It really is the greatest gift to be out here and playing," Coco Gauff said in her post-match on-court interview on Sunday.
"I always get emotional on my birthday, so even just thinking about it. I'm just really happy to be here so thank you guys," she added.
tomorrow 🥳A win in #TennisParadise isn't a bad early birthday gift 🎁
@CocoGauff turns 1️⃣9️⃣ tomorrow 🥳 https://t.co/Gccfe27h2t
Gauff will face Sweden's Rebecca Peterson in the Round of 16 and a win would take the American into her fourth singles quarterfinal in five tournaments this season.
"I'm for sure living my dream" - Coco Gauff reflects on her journey ahead of 19th birthday
A happy Coco Gauff said that she is living her dream by getting to be part of the top level of the professional stage, reflecting on life ahead of her 19th birthday. While Gauff highlighted the glamor quotient in her life on the court, she joked that it is just as boring off the court. She also revealed that she cherishes being a tennis star and having a strong 'online persona.'
"Yeah, I'm for sure living my dream. I guess the on-court part is glamorous in a way, yes. Off-court, I always tell people my life is boring," Coco Gauff said in her post-match press conference after the win against Noskova.
"Yeah, and the tennis part, I guess online and that persona, yeah, I'm living the dream, but I guess that's my dream," she added.
Gauff is also aiming to become the first American woman in 22 years to win the Indian Wells singles title. Serena Williams was the last American woman to do so, winning the 2001 title. Gauff could face her biggest test yet at Indian Wells in the quarterfinals, where she could face either Aryna Sabalenka or Barbora Krejcikova.