Coco Gauff secured an easy Round of 64 win over 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva at the 2023 US Open. After the match, she talked about how he looks up to Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, especially for certain elements from their game.
Gauff gave a specific example about Alcaraz, saying that the Spaniard doesn’t stop smiling even if he isn’t playing his best tennis. She said she incorporated this into her game and it made tennis more enjoyable for her.
Alcaraz and Djokovic inspire to enjoy tennis even when not at your best, says Coco Gauff
Gauff made light work of Russian teenager Andreeva, defeating her 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour. However, her first-round match against Laura Siegemund lasted nearly three hours. The American bounced back from a set down and later admitted that she was not playing her best tennis.
In the post-match press conference, Gauff said that she looks up to Alcaraz and Djokovic and was asked for her thoughts on their rivalry and level of play. She said that she has learnt how they manage situations when they are not at their best. She pointed at Alcaraz’s run at the Cincinnati Open, where all his matches went to the decider third set. The American teenager cited the World No.1’s semi-final clash against Hubert Hurkacz as an example. The Pole had a match point but Alcaraz never stopped smiling, according to Gauff. She said she learnt to enjoy her matches from Alcaraz and Djokovic, which has made tennis enjoyable for her.
“The thing I’ve learned the most is how they’re able to handle the situations when they’re not playing their best tennis. For instance, Carlos in Cincinnati, he was losing a set every match pretty much and he wasn’t playing his best, that was clear. I don’t know. The way that he was still smiling, for me, against Hubi Hurkacz and he was down a set and a break or something like that, I don’t know, he was down crazy or down match points. He was still smiling.
I think I learned the most about their joy in matches and how I can transfer that. Because I have a lot of joy in me but I just seem to bottle it up when I play. Now I’m really just having fun and laughing and smiling, and I think it’s making tennis more enjoyable.”
The ability to win when not at your best is something Gauff wants to consolidate. Other than drawing inspiration from the top two of men’s tennis, she has hired Brad Gilbert as coach. Gilbert, who has previously coached former Grand Slam champions like Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, has written a book Winning Ugly. Murray recently said Gauff will profit immensely from hiring Gilbert.
Gauff aspires to move like Djokovic and Alcaraz
Other than their positive attitude even when they’re down and not at their best, Gauff said she looks up to Alcaraz and Djokovic for their on-court movement. She said the duo is exemplary with their athleticism and footwork. Asked about her sliding on the hard court, she said it comes naturally to her but she only used that as a last resort. The World No.6 recalled that she had never been taught how to slide on hard surfaces, only clay. She said she uses it only in fast-paced scenarios where there’s not enough time to take that ‘extra step’.
Gauff said she is trying to get as close as possible to Alcaraz and Djokovic’s level of physicality and footwork. She believes she is just as athletic as them, with respect to her field of competitors. The American said she tries to watch the duo play as much as possible. Gauff will draw upon what she has learnt from Djokovic and Alcaraz as she prepares to face Elise Mertens in her third-round fixture.
