US OPEN

August 26, 2025

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/A. Tomljanovic

6-4, 6-7, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Coco, you mentioned on court how mentally exhausting this match was. I assume part of that is just obviously trying to work on a really big shot while you're playing the US Open. I wonder when you kind of made that decision to bring your new coach on and do that here, did you have to talk to your team about how to combat the extra mental strain there, or when you make a decision like that, do you just say, like, grit your teeth, get through it?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, when I said that I was referring more to the practice week, not the match. The match was -- it is what it was. I'm so used to these long battles.

But yeah, the practice week was tough because I was spending a lot of time on court literally serving until, like, my shoulder was hurting. Yeah, it's just tough.

I feel like it's in the right direction, and I think for me it's trying not to go back to old habits in those tighter moments, and I think I did that today, especially in the third set.

Yeah, I know when I did this, I was not going to, like, maybe serve the best, but I don't know. I just felt like I don't want to waste any more time. If I could have worked with Gavin earlier, I would have, but obviously he was on the team of another player. So I was just, like, I have no chance.

Then he magically became available. Yeah, I knew I had to make a quick decision because I knew he would be pretty sought out after. Yeah, this was what it was. I think hopefully this time next year I'll be serving much better.

Q. On the court during the match is it going through your head, like, old habits, new habits? That must be a miserable place to be when you're trying to win a third set.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah.

Q. Is that what you're feeling? How did you work through that and just try and focus on the ball?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. Honestly, that third set was the definition of that. That game where I served it at 5-4, that was definitely like an old habit. The next game was a lot better.

Yeah, I think the more I get confident, the more I can go for it. Like, I don't think I served so fast today. I would like to get up there in the numbers, but I know I have to get a lot of reps in.

Ajla played great. I feel like if it was another player, it would be a much more straightforward match. I feel like we had so many long rallies and things like that. I don't think she missed too many returns.

Yeah, it's definitely tough going through the match and battling that internal battle. Especially this is the first tournament. The universe happens how it is, but I wish I could have done this maybe in Montreal. You know, it is what it is. Yeah.

Q. On the serve, the idea of what you're working on with Gavin, how much of it has to do with the approach versus the, like, physical mechanics of the serving? And, also, you mentioned that 5-4 game. After what happened there, what was it like for you to step out there at 6-5 in the third?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, no, I think it's all mechanics. The approach is the approach. I mean, people have told me certain things. Like, now it actually makes sense. Now it's just really trusting that new motion in those moments.

Yeah, basically I told myself at 6-5, I was like, okay, I have to trust what the work we did on court, and that's what I did at that game.

Yeah, it's a new motion. At times I do it well, and at times not so well. When I do it well -- or when I do it, it's always a good result. It's just reminding myself how to do it. But obviously there are so many things going in my head at those tough moments and not just thinking about the serve. I'm thinking about how to play out the point, where to serve, what she's going to do.

Yeah, it's tough, but I think for me I just have to remember how I felt in the moments today and try to use that in the next match.

Q. When you're learning something like this, is it a bit like learning a new language? Is it popping in your head at night? Are you seeing things?

COCO GAUFF: No, yeah. Yeah, it's definitely like -- yeah. It's like learning a new language, honestly. Even like looking at tagged posts of me and sending -- me and Gavin sending each other things back and forth like, Oh, this picture looks good. This one doesn't look as good.

Yeah, I think for me I'm trying to not become as obsessed with it, but it is a bit because I know that this is the part of my game that needs to improve if I want to get the results that I want to receive.

Yeah, I'm someone that I'm not making any excuses. It's not a mental thing. It's a biomechanical thing that I had wrong, and I'm just trying my best to get it right.

Q. Explain how the new motion results in the drop in velocity of serve. Just going through thinking about it more or less fluid motion so far, how does that slow down and how do you think it's going to ramp back up to the MPHs you're used to hitting?

COCO GAUFF: It's a personal choice to serve slower. If I want to get up, I can. A couple of times I think I hit 115 or 114, around that range. No, it's a personal choice and not anything I was told.

So yeah, I know if I need my serve to get up, I can get it up, but it's about making sure I stay in the motion that we worked on.

Q. I know from the layman's eyes what it looks like to us, but from your point of view, what was the, I guess, technical change? Is that just rotation of where you're rotated? How long before that kind of becomes muscle memory so you don't have to sit there and chew up bandwidth thinking about it while you're trying to serve?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. I mean, I don't want to, like, give out everything that we're working on. I'm transparent, but I'll keep that for myself.

But how long? I mean, I don't know. It's been four days, and I'm in the -- or, no, six days -- in a high-stress situation. I would love for this to be a 500 that I'm playing, but it's not. So I don't know. Yeah, we'll see.

Q. Were you mindful of that match that Ajla played against Serena and what she could do here --

COCO GAUFF: Yeah.

Q. -- and how she's going 12 months in, just an assessment of how she's going 12 months back in.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I was very aware. Honestly, before the match I told myself that she was probably going to play that level of tennis again where she's just steady off the ground.

I watched that match with Serena. I expected that level today where I felt like she was just going to be solid, not going to miss, take her chances when it was the right decision to, but just really be on there.

That's what she did, and I think she does better in the bigger lights. I played her at the Olympics in the complete opposite of a match. So yeah, it's difficult when you face opponents who can maybe not play their best tennis for the year and then step it up, but I think that this is the match that I needed. I don't think it could get any more stressful than this, honestly.

First round is more stressful than the final, in my experience. Yeah, I think for me it was a good test.

Q. I'm curious just aside from the serve stuff, obviously coaching partnerships, you're getting to know someone, and it's important to have trust with them. What is it like getting to know Gavin in this kind of high-tense situation without there being much of a kind of build-up?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, no, he's a very nice guy. I think a lot of it -- I do trust him because a lot of it -- like, there's facts and science behind it instead of someone just telling you to do this, and you just do it. I think when I believe in a coach and a plan, I can play some good tennis.

Yeah, I think for me it's just trying to trust all the things that we worked on on the court. Again, it's been only a week. I hope I'm here in the second week, and there's a much different plan. If not, I am looking forward regardless of how this tournament goes. I hope I'm here until the end, but just looking forward to having a lot of time before Asia.

Q. Just to follow up, but with all that footage and data you have at your hands, are you guys really looking at tagged posts? Is that just because it's --

COCO GAUFF: No, that was more me. I don't think Gavin is using tagged posts. No, that was more me. I was just looking (laughing). No, he has all the videos and things like that.

I guess I have the access to it too, but like, I don't know. I feel like just getting it at a random time when I know I'm not being filmed or like by him maybe. I feel like sometimes when he pulls out the camera, maybe I just do it better.

So yeah, just looking at all the types of angles and things like that, yeah, I don't know who the user was, but I did see something, so I appreciate the fans for tagging me (laughing).