MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 28, 2026

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/C. Gauff

6-2, 4-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Coco, obviously not the result you wanted today, but a tremendous run to the Miami Open final. Just gives us your thoughts on the match and just the tournament as a whole.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I thought it was a good tournament overall. Obviously today, it's tough to come home with this result. Yeah, I think I will learn a lot from today's match. I felt like I could have did better in some moments, but that's tennis.

Just happy to find some momentum.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Great tournament. Tough match. You did really well to take the second set. I'm curious if you would walk us through tactically what do you feel you did really well to take that set? And then how tough was it to get broken in the first game of the third, and the momentum?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. Well, I'm sure tactically what I did well. I'll probably try to redo it again.

Yeah, I think I'm most disappointed about that first game in the third set of 30-Love, and with momentum from breaking her to win the set. I feel like that's an important game to win in that moment, especially because I felt I wasn't getting a lot of breaks, but I was making her play a lot of balls, considering how big her serve is.

Yeah, I think that's something I have to learn from in a moment. Yeah, I think in the second set I was just able to raise my level. I felt in the first I was letting her dictate a lot, which is tough because it's Aryna. But I thought in the second I was doing a lot of dictating and playing a bit more aggressive, making deeper returns and things like that.

Yeah, that first game, I'm a bit disappointed about.

Q. Good tournament, Coco. You mentioned a little bit of this on court about sort of the joy and the gratitude, and I know winning some matches helps, getting to the finals is good. And also finding some solutions with the serve and the forehand that you have been working on. But did you find other sort of solutions the last couple of weeks mentally that you think can carry you through and you can use during the upcoming months of the season when there are tough times? Because there are going to be tough times, going to be disappointing losses, but ways to have feelings like joy and gratitude moving forward? And what would those be?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think for me it's just focusing on the process and the journey and more so than the result. I think I can be a very result-based person at times and, you know, will revolve my life around if it's going good or not based on my tennis. I don't think that's healthy just because there are going to be good times and bad times, like you said.

I don't know. I think this week I started off with just minimum goals, which was just to win, you know, that second set of that first match. I think when you focus on the little goals along the way, obviously you have the grand goal, then things become a lot easier. I feel like sometimes in the past, especially when I've played tournaments, maybe I have never played well here, but when I have played tournaments that I'm defending or things like that, I think in the first round I think I'm thinking about the final. This week I wasn't doing that, and I think it's something I can take on into previous tournaments.

All the tournaments I have done well in, I have had that mindset. I think now I'm just actually aware of the mindset shift that happens when I'm mentally not necessarily there versus when I'm there.

Q. A slow start. How much of that had to do with nerves starting to get into the match? And then you were just also saying about the disappointment of losing serve at the start of the third set. Did that play on your mind? Did you feel that pressure on the last point of the match, as well?

COCO GAUFF: I wasn't really nervous, honestly, to start the match. I haven't been nervous really all week except the first round, just when you make a final, you're not expecting it, it wasn't any nerves involved.

I feel like I'm nowhere near my peak of my tennis, so I think it gives me comfort a little bit playing these tournaments and having great results. I can see clearly where I can improve on and do a lot better with, and even just something with the serve, doubles twice, I think, and just knowing the more comfortable I get with it, those free points won't happen.

No, it wasn't something I was thinking about in the last game. Honestly I was focused on breaking back, so I wasn't thinking about it the whole match until once it was over, and it was, like, okay that's something I can improve on. Yeah, she earned the game, but I felt like I gave away some free points too that game.

Q. You have made a couple of references that your team didn't want you to play this.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah.

Q. So what has their reaction been, you go all the way to the finals and go three sets to Sabalenka? Were they more shocked than you? What have they been saying? You said you were motivated by the fact that they didn't want you to play.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I don't think they're necessarily shocked. I think they know when I'm in the right mindset I can do a lot of things. I just wasn't in the right mindset leaving Indian Wells, so I think they were more protective of me, more so just making sure I didn't lose myself in the sport, and that's why they wanted the break.

I don't know. I'm a driven person, and I just wanted to play. I was, like, I live close. I feel, like, you know, if this was in Europe somewhere, then I probably wouldn't have shown up, but this is in Miami, so I was just, worst case, if I lose, it's a 45-minute drive home versus flying.

Also, I'm saving money, not paying for a hotel, not paying hotel for my team, anything. I was, like, whatever, if I don't do well I'm not losing too much on the losing end.

No, I think I just was more proven to prove them wrong, and I feel like that made me change my mindset and stopped me from being negative. I think there were rare times throughout the week I was being negative, and even when I did, I was able to snap out of it quickly.

Q. I will add to the congratulations for a great run on this tournament.

COCO GAUFF: Thanks.

Q. I want to ask about when you were serving at 2-2, it was a really critical game, up 40-Love, and then she came back. You were able to break. It was, like, a long hold that game. That seemed to be a really critical moment. Can you just talk us through what was going through your mind at that moment, and how big was that particular moment to get you over the hump in that set?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think for me it was -- you know, obviously being up 40-Love, I think it's a critical game, and I have been at times where I have broken back from being down Love-40, and you play the next returning game -- or service game, you feel pretty free, because you feel like you shouldn't have broke that game.

I had actually a couple of 40-Loves this week I managed to get back from deuce, so I was learning from those experiences. One was actually I think same situation, 2-All game against Bencic, I was up 40-Love and lost that game. Honestly, I was just trying to remember what I did wrong that game and try not to do the same thing today.

I didn't, so I guess that's the little improvements that you learn from tennis. And, yeah, maybe I prefer to just win it at 40-Love, 40-15 now.

Q. Great job. Thanks for being so great in these press conferences.

COCO GAUFF: Thanks.

Q. The second serve, I thought you really went for it in the second serve. I saw 103, 93. That's probably because her returns are pretty vicious. Take me through what you think Sabalenka is feeling right now. She's just playing with such ease, swinging from the heels. What's that like going against her right now?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, honestly, it wasn't super intentional to go big in the serve. Actually, it's been maybe talks of going slower on the serve. But I think for me, tight moments, I feel like it's better for me to accelerate. And I think the double faults that I did had, the really bad ones were in the net where I didn't accelerate. So that's one thing.

Aryna, she trusts her game I think 100% and trusts herself, and when you're playing like that, it's so easy to play. I have had moments in my career where I felt very similar, where you just feel like no matter what happens today, you're going to win.

I mean, I felt like that going in today, but it didn't happen, when you're playing someone who's probably had that feeling the whole year versus me who is just trying to find that feeling this week. I think the more weeks I have like this one, even despite the result, the more weeks I have like this, those results will come my way.

Q. Obviously dealing with this injury and playing this tournament is quite a new experience for you. Have you learnt anything about yourself during the last couple of weeks? And being at home and commuting in, what home comfort do you get in this situation that you don't have when you're on the road in hotels?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. I guess I learned, I mean, sometimes I feel like for me to do all the tournament, my preparation has to be perfect because I'm someone that prides myself in it. But also knowing that the years and years of things and work doesn't come undone in one week, so I think sometimes I feel like I can enter tournaments and not just have a great practice week and think I lost my tennis. That's not the case. Actually, I was practicing good this week, but it was limited practice, given rain and injury.

But being at home is great. I think the commute was annoying sometimes, like, sometimes it could take 45 minutes or an hour and 15, that was annoying, but just there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed and being at home, especially now I live not at my parents' anymore, so the quietness and stillness of it all, just being in your space, I like it, and I'm going to miss it when I go to Europe.

Q. On the court, you mentioned you were emotional, spoke about your joy earlier. You said they weren't sad tears you had. Is that like a strategy where you're trying not to talk down to yourself? Is there a moment you noticed previously in your career where you were doing that and you kind of wanted to experience more joy during your play?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think I can talk down on myself, and things like that, but in that moment, you know, an athlete that I was inspired by at the Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu, and I had the mindset today that regardless of what happened, you lose, but there is no real loss in the situation.

I was just looking at my box and seeing all my family and friends and hearing them in the crowd, and I know how much they supported me just to be on this stage, so I was just thinking more gratitude and things like that.

It is a mindset shift, because obviously as soon as you lose a final, it's tough. I'm, like, thinking about -- you could see on the bench before, I was just thinking about the match and replaying all the points. Then after, it's over, you just learn from it.

Yeah, I'm grateful, because I didn't think to be here and I'm here, and I know I can repeat this and come home with a bigger trophy, and I feel confident in that.

Q. There was also, like, a buzz leading up to this final because of you, obviously a local native here. What's your thoughts on that in terms of leading up to it, the buzz of this final, and at the same time, you mentioned the crowd, even in the third set.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think the crowd has been great for me this week. Not even the crowd. Just the staff around the grounds. That amount of people, janitors, locker room attendees, the people who make my pasta, the amount of just support I have gotten throughout this week is something that makes this tournament special.

Just even people coming up to me saying, I prayed for you and things like that, I don't get that anywhere else in the world. You know, these are real people, hard workers. Just seeing also how much joy they have from seeing me, like, there is a couple of them that, well, I won't name any, but they asked me to sign their balls and take pictures.

They say they're not supposed to, and I say, Let's go in the closet somewhere and take it, because it doesn't bother me personally.

But just seeing how excited they got just from that is what makes this experience all worth it. Yeah, I think that's also what I was feeling postmatch. Even now when I was walking over here, just again, staff, just being so kind to me and saying, We were proud of you, and things like that, you walk away and say, How can I not be proud of this experience when hundreds of people are telling me this?

I'm grateful for this tournament.