"It's a full-circle moment for me, I played here when I was 12 years old" - Coco Gauff at San Diego Open draw party
Coco Gauff returns to action next week for the first time since losing in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open last month. She will participate in the San Diego Open, a WTA 500 tournament, set to be held from October 10-16 at the Barnes Tennis Center.
Other top players to grace the event include Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, Caroline Garcia, and Daria Kasatkina. Top seed Swiatek has already received a bye in her first round and awaits either 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina or two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza in the second round.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Gauff will start her campaign against a qualifier in the first round and meet Bianca Andreescu or Liudmila Samsonova in the second. If Swiatek and Gauff keep advancing through their draws, there could be a 2022 French Open final rematch in the quarterfinals of the inaugural edition of the tournament.
The young American recently attended the San Diego Open draw party, where she expressed her excitement at playing in the Californian city and also revealed that she first played at the venue at the age of 12.
"I just want to say thank you guys for having me here and doing this event," Coco Gauff said. "I'm really happy to be here at the La Jolla Beach Club, it's actually a beautiful beach club. I'm super excited to play here in San Diego. It's actually a full-circle moment for me. I played at the Barnes Tennis Center for the first time when I was 12 years old and I lost in the quarterfinals. Then I played again when I was 14 here and I lost in the semis. So I told my dad that hopefully, I can get to the final, maybe this time in the pro tournament."
"But it's pretty crazy just to be back. I never would've imagined, I guess, four years ago that I would be here as a professional player, playing here in San Diego. I would like to thank the tournament director and everyone involved with the STA and USTA Foundation for having me and I'm so excited to play here this week. Thank you," she added.
"I think Coco Gauff can be No. 1" - Petar Popovic
WIth a win-loss record of 34-17 this season, Coco Gauff has come a long way, starting 2022 as the World No. 22 and currently enjoying a career-high ranking of #8.
Former Serbian player and coach Petar Popovic recently spoke on The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, where he had nothing but words of praise for the youngster. He stated that Coco Gauff's game suited the slower surfaces and that she possessed all the attributes of becoming the World No. 1.
"She is an incredible mover with explosive power," Popovic said. "On clay or very slow hard, she's good because she gets a lot of spin, so she has time. She's young and her goal needs to be to improve every week, every month. I don't know her ranking, but I think she's in the top 20 and has so much room to improve, which is very good. I think she can be No. 1."