QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 8, 2026

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back, Coco. How do you feel to be back in Doha?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I feel really happy to be back here. Obviously didn't do that great here last year, so I'm looking forward to having a better result. But, yeah, happy to be back.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Back on the doubles courts this week with Victoria. Who approached who to this situation, last minute, and what are your thoughts going into it?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, well, I was supposed to play with someone else, but we weren't going to get in. So I approached her because she was also playing with someone else and they weren't going to get in. So I was like, If we play together, we'll get in. She said yes.

Yeah, happy to be back on the doubles court, especially with someone as great as Vicky is.

Q. I asked you at Wimbledon last year if anyone had asked you for advice on the tour, obviously because you're quite young, but you got a lot of experience under your belt. You told me Victoria was one of the people to do that. One month later she had an amazing run in Montreal. How much of the advice are you going to take away from Victoria as she obviously beat you in that run there?

COCO GAUFF: She gave me advice? I'm confused.

Q. You gave her advice.

COCO GAUFF: Oh. I did? I don't remember giving her advice. Yeah, I don't remember what I said. I'm sorry (laughing). Sorry. I have like a memory like a goldfish.

Q. What did the post-Australian Open look like for you? Did you go back to the court immediately, did you need to have a bit of a reset, or what did that look like?

COCO GAUFF: I would say, I mean, I'm here. I had to leave, I only got a couple days home. I practiced at home and then I came here. I was looking forward to being back to playing. Yeah, I would say I took three days off, but that's normal, I think, given I was playing for like three weeks in a row.

Q. I saw on your Instagram you had a copy of Wuthering Heights. I'm guessing it's in anticipation of the movie. Have you gotten a chance to read it, and what you thought of it?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I finished it. I'm really curious how they're going to do the movie, because I saw that they're marketing it as the greatest love story, and after reading it it's not a great love story. So I don't really know if this is about to be like, I feel like it's just going to be the director's take on the movie, based off the marketing. We'll see.

It was a good book, but it definitely is not the greatest love story. It's a lot of toxicity and abuse going on in that book, but, yeah.

Q. Is that your first time reading books from that Victorian era?

COCO GAUFF: Oh, yeah. I've never read a book in the 1800s before, so I had to reread a couple pages sometimes to understand the English. But I think it was good, I think I'll do it some more to challenge myself.

Q. Craig Tiley had mentioned that the women might be asked to play best-of-five sets next Australian Open. Your thoughts on that, and whether you think you want to play best-of-five sets or you prefer best-of-three sets.

COCO GAUFF: I mean, could I play best-of-five sets? Probably, yes. Do I want to? I mean, it's a lot of playing. I don't know. I feel like, from a spectator's standpoint, it would be just too much for the men and women to play best-of-five. I mean, the matches are already going long, imagine if the women were also doing best-of-five sets.

I guess my stance is whatever. Like I feel like if you're going to best-of-five, like the whole tournament should be best-of-five. It shouldn't be like, Oh, we're going to start best-of-five in the quarters. I think for me that feels, I don't want to say stupid, because that's a big word. But I feel like the rules of the tournament should be consistent throughout the whole tournament.

I don't know. I like the way two out of three is. I think best-of-five wouldn't be terrible, but I don't know. I feel indifferent towards the question, honestly.

I like the way it is right now. Two out of three feels right. I can be home at a good time. I feel like best-of-five we're going to be out there until 5:00 a.m. like every day.

Q. One question about the Super Bowl. Are you going to watch it? What are you being looking forward to for this year's Super Bowl?

COCO GAUFF: Will I watch it? I think it's at like 2:30 or something in the morning. My friend's boyfriend is on the Seahawks, so I'm rooting for the Seahawks strictly because of her.

I don't know. I'm excited to see Bad Bunny perform. Hopefully Cardi B can come out. So I'm more interested in the halftime show this year, just because I don't really have a dog in the fight for the Super Bowl. I'll probably be sleeping, and I'll just watch the halftime show in the morning.

Q. Speaking of other sports, curious if you're planning to watch any of the Olympics.

COCO GAUFF: I am planning to watch. I just haven't, I don't know, I have to look at the time. It's not that bad because it's in Italy, so I am planning to watch. I want to watch the figure skating. I saw that Lindsey had an unfortunate accident again today. I was looking forward to seeing her do well.

But, yeah, I don't know who else I'm going to watch. I like watching curling because it's like, what is this? But I think it's cool. Snowboarding also I think, so, yeah.

Q. Curious about what's your mindset to getting your game starting this week. Have you put special targets or say like, Okay, I need to do that better. I want to see that happening this week.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think I want to try to be a bit more aggressive. I think in my last match I was too passive, and I let Elena kind of take over. I want to be more aggressive here. I thought I did well in my previous matches at the Australian Open, but I think I lost it in that match. So I think just wanting to capitalize on that.

The goal is, obviously I would love to win, but the goal isn't results right now. I think it's just more about trying to play in the way I want to play for the next Grand Slam.