ROLAND GARROS

June 2, 2025

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/E. Alexandrova

6-0, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Coco, into your fifth quarterfinal here at Roland Garros. How does it feel?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it feels great to be back in the quarters here, and really happy with how I played today and hopefully can keep going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I wanted to ask you not about the match but about that moment you had with Venus and Sloane.

COCO GAUFF: Yes.

Q. Three generations of Black American players. How significant does it feel to be surrounded by them still and to feel their kind words and them urging you on?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it feels surreal. Venus is someone I looked up to for a long time. And Sloane, too. I remember hitting with Sloane when I was maybe about 8 years old. I had a birthday party, maybe, like, 10th or 11th, one of those birthdays. She surprised and showed up, and I felt like the coolest kid ever having her come (smiling).

Just to be alongside the two of them is very cool. To have that moment was not something that I was expecting, but very honored that they were both enthusiastic for me to be there. And obviously I was just probably more excited, too.

Q. Thinking about Fonseca, he's now trying to make that step up. I wonder about what you found were kind of the biggest challenges or differences about playing the top players, things they did differently, and things you then had to do to bridge the gap a little bit?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think a lot of it is just experience. Sometimes you may feel like a better player than them, but maybe, you know, I think what makes the difference is they know what to do in those tough moments.

Obviously with him, he's so talented and doing so great. It all will come with experience and time, and obviously guys is a little bit different, just physicality-wise, and the fact that at 18 he's making third round of slams and doing the things that he's done, especially being on the male side of things where I think it's a little bit bigger of a physicality gap between 18 and 23 than on the women's.

I'm very excited to see where he will be in a few years. I guess just knowing sometimes you want the results, like, right now, and you don't realize how much you can improve in those years. So I'm sure that other people around him make him aware of that.

Q. Is there any shortcut, or is it just experience?

COCO GAUFF: Obviously the shortcut is being talented, just naturally talented. That would be the shortcut (smiling), which he already kind of has that shortcut.

I guess when it comes to, yeah, those later moments, making quarters, semis, and finals of big tournaments, for sure, I think is more so an experience thing, too.

Q. How do you compare this run to the quarterfinals to other years when you have gotten this far in this tournament and sort of -- I guess, last year obviously, '22. My memory doesn't go back...

COCO GAUFF: Mine too, to be honest. Same (smiling).

Q. But if you could talk through, I'm sure you remember '22, and I'm sure you remember last year, how you feel and what's gotten better or worse or more confusing?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think they feel very similar, I think. I think I'm less nervous going into matches, for sure, and knowing just the ups and downs of tennis and of a tennis match.

But they feel kind of similar. I still feel the years here I feel like I get better with each match. I felt like that was something that I did in '22 and last year as well, and something I'm doing here right now.

Yeah, I think if I can keep just making those details a little bit better, hopefully I can do even better than I did last year.

Q. I wanted to ask about the weather here. It's very up and down. Friday was 29. Today it was a bit chilly, cloudy. I saw you put your leather jacket on at the end. Is that something difficult to deal with, or is it something you just blank out?

COCO GAUFF: Yes and no. Like, the first day here it was honestly I think the worst I felt on the court since the clay season. Just so windy, cold. The ball wasn't going anywhere. Obviously, the week has gone on. It's been hot, and today was cooler. Just flirting with tension.

Honestly, it feels like a different tournament sometimes, depending on the weather. But it's something you expect here, playing this tournament and these conditions.

Yeah, I think just taking it day by day, you know, and the more experience I get playing here, the more you kind of feel like the day's, you know, maybe this day felt similar to how it felt last year. So just the more you play, the more you can kind of relate those feelings to other experiences here.

Q. Something you said before, when you're coming through and losing to players you kind of know or think you're better than, wonder how frustrating that is, how you process that.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it can be frustrating sometimes when you feel like you can't, you're not showing up to execute, especially against people -- there are those matches that you feel like if you could just get one or two points, that it could definitely go your way and just play a little bit better.

But I think it's definitely better having that feeling than, when you finish, than having the feeling like she's just way better than me.

Yeah, I think it's definitely, I prefer that, to have that feeling. It's probably really frustrating, but, you know, sometimes I don't want to be ever put in the position where you feel like, oh, my gosh, she's way better than me and there's a lot to do. It has happened but not too often.

Q. What a great tournament for Americans.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah.

Q. Can you share any fun moments or interesting moments you have had with some of the players, or just comment on this surge and great results.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I guess I'll start with Hailey. I've known her since I was 11, 12 years old. I think we've played doubles once or twice in juniors. You know, our parents are friends. I have known her forever.

It's great just to see her doing well, and, you know, I feel like at the level she should be, and obviously she will continue to be better.

Maddie, I have known her for a long time. I remember, I think it was maybe Miami Open, I was shadowing her as a junior. They let me shadow her. I sat at one of her Kindness Wins foundation events and things like that. I don't know if she remembers that.

Yeah, obviously Jess, a lot of memories of her playing doubles on the court. So, yeah, that's all I can think of from my half of the draw. I don't know who's on the top half that's American as well. It's just awesome to see us all doing well, kind of all in different stages of our career too, which is very exciting.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to whoever I play the next match, and glad to be representing, and hopefully, you know, a lot of girls can be inspired by us.

Q. Frances and...

COCO GAUFF: Oh, yeah, I guess the men, too. Yeah, Frances, I mean, there are so many with Frances. I guess, recently him giving me crap about my racquets and stuff. That's the most recent thing (smiling).

Then Tommy, I have known him since I have been on tour. He's how he is on court. Very chill, very calm, chill guy. You know, I see him in Florida all the time with his pickup truck. And I guess my funny memory with him is literally doing cardio on the track, looking like he's dead, and then just seeing him with fishing rods on the back of his truck going to go straight to the ocean to go fish. I'm, like, how do you have energy to be on the water for six hours. But he's as country as it gets, I think, when it comes to tennis players that I know.

Q. On Frances, he was just in here yesterday, and he said he enjoyed finally seeing you after the racquet incident and rinsing you for it. I think his words were you were shaking out your bag like an empty cookie jar. Are you going to have to take that now and just let him have his moment, or do you still have any ammunition on him?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I honestly didn't. I literally told him, I was, like, From you, I expected it. From you, it's okay, but the fact that it happened to me...

Because I feel like I'm a professional person, and yeah, usually I am someone, if anybody knows me, I'm someone that can find the comeback real quick. Even if I'm wrong, I'm one of those people that will still defend myself. I don't like losing arguments.

But that one, I just had to take it. I learned that I had nothing to say, especially because I gave him a lot of crap for it, and then not even six months later I did the same thing on an even bigger stage.

Yeah, but I have learned my lesson and hopefully it won't happen again.

Q. In general, this has obviously been a really consistent period for you. What has helped you to be able to put out such a high level day after day?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think just honestly fighting for each match and each point, because I have learned in the last two tournaments, especially in Rome and Madrid, losing the opening set in the first round of both of those tournaments and making the final, it just shows you have to keep fighting for every match and keep fighting for every point, because anything can happen in a tournament.

So I think if I want to be more consistent on tour, I think that's something I have to continue to do.

Q. We need a direct response to Frances describing you as Little Ms. Mature. Is that who you are?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I get that a lot. I definitely for sure feel like I'm sometimes, when I was a junior, especially more mature than maybe some of my peers. I don't know why.

I feel like I have always been that. When I was in school, I would always be the first one to class. I remember getting on the yellow for the behavior chart once, and that was like the worst day of my life.

Yeah, I'm definitely someone that prides myself in being a good example. I think it's because I have two younger brothers, and I feel like I have to be that example.

Yeah, I mean, it is true. I'm not going to argue with that. Most people do say I'm mature. I don't know. I feel like maybe just playing tennis it forces you to grow up faster for some people. Maybe not him. But yeah. (Laughter.)