QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 10, 2026

Coco Gauff

From Recorded Audio

E. COCCIARETTO/C. Gauff

6-4, 6-2

Q. Tough match, obviously. Just your perspective on what happened, what did she do to get the win, or was it something that you couldn't really control?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I definitely could have controlled better. She played well. She played really aggressive. I don't know, I just felt like I haven't showed up as my best level the last few matches. Just looking to kind of find that again.

Q. You showed some frustration through that match. Can you share what happened emotionally?

COCO GAUFF: I just feel like some of the things I've been working on in practice just aren't translating into the match court, which is super frustrating. I've been having good practices, but just not playing well in the matches. I think I just need to find how to get that to translate.

Q. Is it a confidence thing?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I was really confident to start the year off, so I don't really know if it's that. Today I was feeling good going into the match, and confident. I don't know, I mean, obviously my last match in Australia wasn't good, and then today wasn't good either. I don't know. I think I am just going to try to learn from it, and hopefully do better in Dubai.

I'm also not like too upset, because I didn't do well here last year. I feel like it's also something that I have to find how to compete better in this part of the swing.

Q. (No microphone.)

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I thought my serve was pretty good today. I got broken a lot, but I feel like that was more my ground strokes than my serve. Whereas before I felt like it was a lot to do with my serve. So that's really the only positive I think I can take from today.

Q. Is it more the physical aspect of the game that you're not comfortable with?

COCO GAUFF: I don't really know. I think if I had an answer for that now I think today would be a different result. I don't know. I think I need to, it's probably more mental than anything, because physically I can do it. I'm doing it when there's not much pressure, so I think I just need to figure out how to do it when there is more pressure.

Q. When things aren't working is there a question of whether to maybe change the tactics or try to push through with what you're trying to employ out there on court? What is more important at this stage?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, definitely in the match, if something is not working, I'm trying to change the tactic and things like that. I think I tried to be more aggressive, and I was hitting more unforced errors. I tried to be a little bit more passive, but playing with more shape, and she was just taking the ball early and crushing the ball.

I don't know. I think I need to figure out how to play against players like her who hit super flat and take everything pretty much early. I think the last two matches that has shown that I've been struggling with that. Yeah, I think it's something I need to work on in practice.

Q. (No microphone.)

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I guess you can look at it that way. I think I'm more critical to look at it like that. But I will say the biggest change I have made obviously is my serve, and today with only three double faults, it's positive for me. The same with the matches that I had in Australia, I think not really many double-faults as well. That's the one positive. Now I need to figure out what I'm doing off the ground to lose these matches.