"Watching Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova lose, they didn't let one match define their career"- Coco Gauff not dwelling on Australian Open SF loss
Coco Gauff's campaign at the 2024 Australian Open came to an end in the semifinals, with the teenager losing to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets on Thursday.
Gauff, who had downed Sabalenka to win the US Open last year, could not recreate the same magic in Melbourne, instead losing 6-7(2), 4-6 against the World No. 2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Speaking at her post-match press conference, however, Gauff made it clear that she was not going to dwell on the loss too much. The American emphasized how she grew up watching the likes of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, who never let any loss define their careers.
The World No. 3 wanted to adopt a similar attitude herself, a sentiment that was relayed to her by her coach Brad Gilbert as well.
"You know, I watched these matches growing up and, like, watching Serena and watching Sharapova lose, like, these matches. It seems like when you're in it, it feels like the end of the world. But then when you look at history, they didn't let one match define their career," Coco Gauff said.
"I'm not going to let this match -- I'm going to dwell on it tonight, but as Brad told me as soon as the match was over, the sun is going to rise tomorrow and you have a new chance to live a good day," she added.
Coco Gauff: "Tomorrow, I don't know, I'm going to try to go to the movies or something"
Coco Gauff also touched on the idea of having "fun" on the court during matches, stating that there were a couple of points during the loss where she really enjoyed the atmosphere, even though the result was not going her way.
Despite the defeat, the teenager maintained that she was glad to be part of such a competitive match, and jokingly added that she will try to forget the loss by going to a movie or something relaxing like that the following day.
"I am having fun. I feel like if I ever get to a moment where I stop having fun, I would take a break. Yeah, I am. There was, like, a couple points in the match where I, like, I'm always having fun generally but you're so competitive, but there was a couple of shots where I was just, like, this is fun, this atmosphere is fun, and I want to enjoy it as long as possible," Coco Gauff said.
"Yeah, I think for me the most important thing is to continue that, having fun. Even though tonight I lost, it was still a great competitive match. Tomorrow, I don't know, I'm going to try to go to the movies or something, be proud of myself," she added.