ROLAND GARROS

May 30, 2026

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

A. POTAPOVA/C. Gauff

4-6, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Coco, tough battle today. Just give us your first thoughts of the match.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I had chances. I think just trying to capitalize more on these good points that I'm hitting and not quite finishing, yeah, I think that was the difference, that she was able to finish the points and I wasn't.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Tough luck today. What was the most frustrating out there today that maybe you couldn't play the game you wanted or have the sensations you were used to, maybe playing a bit defensive? How do you feel that?

COCO GAUFF: I think, again, just not capitalizing on certain shots. I mean, at 3-All, I had a couple of breakpoints and missed I think two backhands or three backhands, which just can't happen in that scenario.

I think, I don't know, I feel like I'm practicing well, and when the moments get there, I'm not quite translating that. I do it at times, and then I also don't do it. I think it's just a learning experience, and hopefully when I'm in this position again, I can make better decisions.

Q. You have had a lot of success in your career being able to win matches where you're not always playing your best. It's one of your strengths. Did you feel like you could still get over the line today even if things weren't firing for you? Ultimately, what was not able to get you to escape this one?

COCO GAUFF: I think just I feel like I lost the same way in Rome as I did here, which is not good, I think. I don't know. You never want to lose the same way back-to-back times, and I did, and I feel like also in Madrid, it was a similar thing, losing the same way.

It's one thing to lose, but I think today I didn't -- I mean, I competed, like, I fought my hardest, but I don't think I played the way I wanted to in the crucial moments.

Q. Just looking ahead to Wimbledon, if you can, it was a pretty good serving performance today. Do you take confidence in the improvement in the serve? What do you think the impact will be from that at Wimbledon?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, obviously the serve is more consistent, although I'm not holding serve, which is the issue. I guess who cares how many serves I make in the court if the result is still the same.

I mean, obviously the grass, I think, will help a little bit more, but I think I could have served more aggressive at some points and did more patterns that I work on in practice today. I just didn't do so.

Yes, it's more consistent, and I have a lot of trust now in my serve, but at the same time, I got broken a lot of times, and I have to correct that.

Q. When you got to 6-5 in the second set and then 3-1 in the third set, did you think, okay, I've got this under control? Did you get that sort of feeling like the opponent was going to go away at this point?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, obviously you win some games in a row, so you feel like the momentum is on your end, but in pro sports, I never feel completely comfortable, to be honest, until the match is over.

Yeah, I think that's maybe the issue too that when I see the momentum is on my side, I should keep putting my foot on the gas instead of maybe letting up a little bit, and I think that's what I did.

Q. Tough one today. In terms of playing against Potapova, she's a player that isn't automatic when she has leads. She can kind of let them go. How tricky is that to play against as well when you maybe sometimes want to put your foot on the gas pedal, but if you don't, she might, you know, back up a little bit and vice versa? Did you struggle with that in your head at all either?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I kind of noticed, like, obviously in the second set, I really broke her so many times, and I could have held, and maybe if I hold one time at 4-2, or to make it 4-3 instead of 5-2, could be different.

Yeah, I think, you know, most players I feel like when they have the lead, they kind of, especially against me, kind of get a little bit tight, and that showed today.

But obviously when you kind of, like, lose the lead, I have been in that position and you're playing from behind, you're a lot more freer because you're just, like, whatever. I think I need to have that same mentality when I'm behind, playing like that to get back into the lead, and I need to figure out how to make that mental switch of keeping that level of play when I do have the lead.

I think at 5-2 to 6-5, I played great, and obviously the tiebreaker was really bad.

Q. This is your second time being defending champion at a major. How much, if at all, does that sort of status affect how you played?

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I think at US Open it did a lot more. But honestly, this time it didn't. I wasn't really nervous. I was nervous in my first round, but after that, I wasn't really nervous going into today, and I wasn't really thinking about it.

I think I learned from my US Open experience. I don't think it played a result, like it played a part in the result today, but yeah, I don't know. I think that's what's more frustrating, because I felt like I learned a lot from that US Open experience and am a better player since then. I just don't think I portrayed that today.