AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2026

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/K. Rakhimova

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Coco, congratulations. Into the second round here in Melbourne. Give us your thoughts on the match and playing the first round today.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I'm really happy how today went. Kamilla is a tough first round. She can make a lot of balls. She plays really, really long. I think her and Jess probably hit the flattest.

Yeah, it was not the easiest at moments, but I got through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. A lot of breakpoints, but your serve was not at its best. Few double faults. Take us through that process of your service at the moment.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, it was just the first set. Only had one double in the second. I think both of us were struggling on the far side. The sun is right there, which I know for every time I play first on day here, that's just how it is.

But once I got through kind of the first game, I had like three doubles in the first game, and once I got through that game, I mean, it was pretty much smooth sailing from there. Maybe I would have liked to put more first serves in the court, for sure.

Yeah, I think I just erased that first game, and then after that I was better.

Q. I wanted to ask about your New Balance kit. I believe this is the first time they will actually be available to purchase?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah.

Q. Curious what that means to you that we maybe see young fans wearing a Coco original.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it was really cool. A lot of people have been asking for a while to be able to buy my kits. Yeah, I think there are two colors. I decided to wear purple today, because I felt like it gave more day vibes. And obviously there is an orange kit for night.

Yeah, I'm really excited. I guess I'll take a free-form question. There is a popup at Federation Square, and you can buy the kits in person there.

Q. I'm working on a story about players changing countries they represent. I don't know if you noticed, Rakhimova, when you played her a few months ago, she was not Uzbek and now she is Uzbek. Does that catch your eye when you see flags changing in the rankings or draws or scoreboards?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it did catch my eye, because I didn't realize she changed until my coach sent the schedule screen shot, and I saw she had a different flag. I mean, I'm sure there is obvious reasons why a lot of players are switching countries.

Yeah, obviously I'm not, like, into the process of how that takes, but it definitely did catch my eye. Yeah, I guess you have to talk to them as to why, but I think there are obvious reasons as to why.

Q. One of the unique parts of tennis is that you share a locker room with people you go out and play against. I know it's something you're used to and it's normal, but are there ever any situations where it's a bit awkward? Maybe with the opponent but also maybe if you walk in and someone is in tears and emotions are running high? How do you manage that?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it is awkward. I had an awkward one after our match. I won't say who. But I thought a person won and they didn't. Yeah, I was, like, Oh, and then they were, like, No. And I was, like, Oh. But they took it well.

Yeah, there are moments like that where you don't know whether to speak to the person or not, if you haven't seen the score and how their match goes. I'm usually pretty good at doing that, but today it was a messup. But luckily the girl, I know her, she's super sweet.

Yeah, that happens. And as far as like opponents, yeah, it is always sometimes awkward. You say hello and stuff. But the people I know really well, it's not really that awkward. We'll talk and be, Okay, see you out there, and that's fine.

But always people you don't know, you don't know whether to say hi to them or not. I'm someone who usually always says hi, but the responses vary. And I understand, get in the moment.

Yeah, I think the worse about sharing a locker room is seeing someone, knowing they played today but not knowing how the score went. You don't know what mood they're in. I always find that hard to navigate.

Q. Have you congratulated her?

COCO GAUFF: I just said, Oh, it must have went well, because they were eating candy, and they were, like, No, this is depression candy.

Q. Back on the serve, you start, your velocity picked up sort of a little bit in the second set.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah.

Q. Was the idea just to sort of find your groove in the first set and start out kind of spinning the ball in the way you were?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I felt like given my opponent, someone who I feel like that serve works well, yeah, but I don't think I was accelerating enough, which is why a lot of the doubles went in the net.

As the match went on, I just told myself to accelerate on my serve more. Obviously when that happens, I get more speed and velocity. So I think the next match I'll try and start quicker than I did today.

Q. I wanted to ask you about head-to-head records. Obviously it's a big deal in tennis, it's important. You managed to turn yours around with Iga. The last four you've won without dropping a set. How much does that play a role in your thinking? How do you turn a losing head-to-head record around?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, in the past there were no head-to-heads I felt really bad about, except that one. In the past I used to think about it so much, because you want to get the one win. I think once I got that, it kind of, like, I erased the other matches.

Obviously she's a great player, and she deserved those wins, but I felt like a lot of those -- some of those losses. I won't say a lot, because she just outplayed me, but some of them, at least at the beginning, it just was already on the mental deficit. I think once I erased that mental deficit, I was able to play free.

Yeah, I think there was, like, no other head-to-head in tennis where I had that, so it was very difficult to navigate. Now I feel like I'm able to play free. Obviously it's still a big gap in the head-to-head. I just erase it from my mind. Can't change the past, but I learned from it.

I don't know how it will end at the end of our careers, but at least I know in the future matches I won't be starting like that with the mental deficit.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the top five, six of the women. They all look really tight. You have close matches, and it can go either way. I wonder if you looked across at the men's rankings and the top two and then there is a big thing. Have you ever noticed it? Have you thought about it, the gap between the top two and the rest?

COCO GAUFF: Obviously I noticed it. I don't think it's necessarily me looking at the rankings, but you kind of have an idea what the rankings look like when they are winning at basically everything.

Yeah, I think obviously I know that the women's -- I know, for example, last week Amanda was No. 3. At the end of that week then I was No. 3. So I know those are going to be very close.

I feel like it's mainly always going to be like that on the women's side, because I just feel like we're all very close right new, and anybody can win on any given day. Yeah, I have noticed on the men there seems to be Carlos and Jannik doing really well, but yeah, I don't count the other guys out.

I think a couple other guys have a really good chance of breaking that rhythm up, and they just need to develop a little bit more and a little bit more time.

Q. Do you think it's likely or possible that we'll see players' concerns over prize money escalate into protests, given Tennis Australia's pushback on suggestions that players are unhappy with this year's prize pool?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, as of right now, honestly, I haven't heard any rumors or things like that about that being a possibility. I do know players are going to put more pressure on the slams if certain things aren't being met to where we see it.

But I don't know. I feel like that will have to be a collective decision that we would all have to talk about, which we talked about to where we all are collectively agreed to what we pushed on so far. Now when it comes to what actions would be taken to maybe put more pressure, that is a possibility. But as of right now, I haven't heard anything of that happening.

Q. Your next opponent is Olga Danilovic. What do you know about her? What you can expect there?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think she's a great player. I think she has good results down here. I remember she beat Jess I think it was two years ago and obviously had a good match last night.

It's going to be a tough match. I think she's a talented player. I'm looking forward to the battles. Not often I get to play a lefty. It will be tough.

Yeah, I think if I stay with my game, hopefully I can come out with the result.

Q. I notice on the lens cap you wrote, "Go Canes." Will you be tuning in tomorrow? What are your thoughts, and do you have a score prediction?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think I will. I think my practice is at 12:00, and I think the game starts at 11:30. May have to change that (smiling).

Score prediction. I sent a DM, they asked me, I forgot what I wrote, but I think it was like 23-14, Canes. I don't know. I just picked something random.

I have been a Miami fan basically my whole life, so it's cool for them to be in the Championship. I just wanted to give them a shoutout.