US OPEN

August 22, 2025

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

An interview with:

COCO GAUFF

THE MODERATOR: Coco, welcome. Your thoughts as you get ready for this US Open.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, really happy to be back here. Hopefully I can have a good run here. That's it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Saw you working with Gavin on the court in the rain. Dedication. Could you talk about a decision to split with Matt and why you brought Gavin on board?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it was, like, a very sudden decision. Gavin became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game at least and I had to go with what I was feeling. Matt, I think Matt is a great coach and a great person and 100% love working with him. Yeah, I mean, we obviously had a very successful partnership, but I'm just looking at long term.

I know Gavin has had experience with this before so, hoping I can just take on his knowledge and see what can happen.

Q. Following up on that, what's it like trying to make technical changes or adjustments or contemplating making technical changes days before a major tournament?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, a tournament is a tournament. I hate losing regardless of where I am. If this was a 250, I would feel just as crazy to do it.

Yeah, I felt this was a good opportunity. I don't have that many points to defend honestly in this part of the season. I'm one of those people, I'm looking at long term. I hope I can get it all together - I think I'll play either Monday or Tuesday - by then. If not, I have the rest of this year to work on it.

But I do know I needed to make a change, technical change to it, and I don't want to waste time continuing doing the wrong things.

Q. Was there any part of Gavin, Oh, shit, right before the Open?

COCO GAUFF: No, he's a confident person. Also, I mean, no, I mean, obviously there is pressure on both of us. But at the same time, I mean, I'm not thinking about the outside opinions. I'm not thinking about that. I'm doing what's best for my game.

I feel as an athlete I can be, Yeah, I won French Open, made two finals back to back, quarters of Australia. I can be, Okay, I'm doing fine and continuing playing the way that I'm playing. But I know where I want to see my game in the future. I'm not going to waste time playing the way I don't want to play.

Q. Reconciling achieving as much as you have achieved but still being able to have the foresight to know what you would like or can improve, have you always been that? Have you felt that freedom to experiment?

COCO GAUFF: No, I have always been like that. Yeah, when I won US Open here, I have been very vocal, I wasn't really happy with how I played the whole tournament, and that was a great result for me.

For me, I just want to get better. I'm obsessed with the process of getting better. Yeah, sometimes maybe it hurts because I get obsessed with it too much.

I don't know. I feel like I have a clear future where I see myself and I feel like I'm really close. I think this aspect of the game will bring everything together for me.

Q. You have been working with Miu Miu. What do you like about that partnership and being able to work with a more fashion leading brand outside of the athletic wear?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it's been really cool to work with them. Cincinnati was the last of our three kits. I will be doing more stuff with them off court, which I'm super excited about.

Yeah, I don't think it's been done too much in sports to have a collaborative kit in tennis. To be one of the first is really cool. I hope more brands get involved with the sport.

Q. When you won the French Open, I think you quoted Tyler, the Creator in your speech. How particular are you about the music you listen to right before a match? Do you plan it out? How do you do that?

COCO GAUFF: No, I don't plan it out. It's more so how I feel in the moment. Usually though if I'm doing well in a tournament I'll keep the same prematch song and all of that will shuffle.

Usually it's between rap or gospel. When I'm feeling super nervous, I listen to gospel because I am like, Okay, I need a higher power or something to calm me down.

But I feel like, All right, I'm doing well, I'll play rap. I think before my semifinal in France, I don't know, I just felt so good that day. I was like, Okay, it's rap day. Before the final, I was like, Okay, it's gospel day (laughter). You know, I felt like it definitely carried me to the end.

Q. What goes through your mind when you think about the fact that in the last 11 years here, there have been 10 different women's singles champions?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I'm not going to lie. Hearing that, not a lot goes through my mind. I feel like I think Wimbledon is almost the same with that, coming with that.

I mean, it's women's tennis. When we're playing two out of three sets, there's more probability for there to be new champions. I think that statistically if you play three out of five, usually the better player has more time to get their game together. I think that is where the consistency comes from.

But I think it's great. When you go into the tournament and you know already who's going to make the finals or semis or who the four players are going to be, I feel like it can be a little bit boring.

Well, I mean, obviously Carlos and Jannik are always entertaining to watch. But it's cool, I think going in you have new possibilities of there being a champion.

Q. As the prize money increases, what significance do you all feel as far as your role in obviously in improving that prize money?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think it's a great thing that it's continue to raise. But also, you know, revenue at tournaments are continuing to raise just with all the additions to just this week, the mixed doubles and the Fan Week. So yeah, I think it continues.

I think having that more of a percentage share of that revenue with the prize money... I think you guys have all seen the stuff on Twitter and everything about the letter and everything. So yeah, I think it's something we are continue to push.

Yeah, it's not, I don't say this in vain, I'm very, very grateful to be in the sport I am, especially being a woman in sport, knowing that other sports are nowhere near the opportunities that we have in tennis. But I do think it's important we address it not only for the future of our sport but the future of others.

I know that the WNBA is trying to get to that point and I'd like to see it across all sports the women are getting their fair share of revenue as well.

Q. We saw you practicing in the rain on Wednesday. What was behind that decision? It was hurricane-like rain.

COCO GAUFF: When I was in the rain, it was drizzling. People made it seem like I was, on social media, like I was in a hurricane. It was literally drizzling. The courts weren't that wet.

I have served in the rain a lot. The decision was I wanted more reps, and the indoor courts were all booked and I couldn't get an indoor court.

Q. You mentioned the importance of fashion in tennis. What difference does it make to an athlete to be in clothes that they think they look good, or you feel passionate or comfortable in?

COCO GAUFF: Oh, I think it's so important. For me, it's like extra motivation. When I have a great kit, I want to do better to get the photos that I want (smiling).

No, especially as a woman, I feel like when you feel good, and the fit is right, you feel really confident on the court and you're not thinking about anything else but your game and things like that. Yeah, also, I think it just brings more fans to the sport.

I think we obviously have our core of tennis fans, but I think fashion helps bring just casual fans to the sport, a new demographic. We don't always need the core fans who know every single player. You look at NBA games, there's so many people who go who don't really know anything about basketball, other than players. And like for tennis, I think at US Open we get that demographic of people, but I think more on a tour level, I would love to see that.

Q. You mentioned having not played your best in 2023 here at the Open. How comforting is it for you to come to these slams, these big-pressure situations to know you have won two majors with tennis that you don't even consider to be your best?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it's a big comfort and I think for me I'd feel worse if I was feeling like I was playing good and losing, and knowing that there are things I can change and I feel like I have so much more to do. Literally, like in the French Open, there were some matches I was playing my best tennis and some matches where I wasn't.

Yeah, I think I would love to get to that point where I am going three, four weeks or back-to-back 1000s in a slam just playing all the way through good tennis.

Yeah, I think with these changes, it will get to that point eventually, but it's just a matter of time.

Q. You were one of the players, top players, who never was entered in the mixed doubles at all. Did you watch it? Did you have any FOMO what was going on?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I definitely watched it. I did have some FOMO. I love mixed doubles, and I did the one-set format last year with Ben, which was really fun.

I just had so much sponsor stuff this week, so I was just like I knew from the beginning that it wasn't going to be a possibility for me. I'm someone who likes to win, and I'm locked in if I'm doing something. I knew I would try to be as locked in with that.

I thought it was really cool and it was great to see the mixed doubles get the recognition that it needs. And yeah, I definitely think the format was great, but I definitely think for next year there can be some changes maybe with the entry, just allow more doubles specialists to compete.

But I definitely think there is a balance between getting the top singles players and a lot more doubles specialists involved. It could be - it's already an outstanding product - even more of an outstanding product.

Q. Is that in the future or is it just never going to work in that timeframe?

COCO GAUFF: No, I'm never going to shut anything down. There's definitely a possibility for me to play in the future. New York is always tough for me. But if other slams catch on, I feel like it will be a little bit easier there.

Q. I know you're a big Love Island fan. Any other TV shows or books you've read this summer?

COCO GAUFF: Weapons was pretty good. I love the Fourth Wing series. Love Island is really the only reality show I have gotten into. I tried Temptation Island, but I was like, This is just dumb. Who goes on the show with your boyfriend? That was just stupid.

Then I have been really bad with the books. But into Anime, the usual. I have been bad with the media. Love Island took up my whole summer, quite literally. I'm trying to work up the courage to invite one or two of the cast members to a match. But I don't know. I don't have the courage.