THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 7, 2026

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/J. Pegula

4-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Coco, first Wimbledon semifinal. How does that sound?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, it sounds really good. I'm very happy to be in this stage of the tournament. So yeah, really happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In the bigger picture of your year, even your career, what does this one mean? Feel any more special?

COCO GAUFF: Definitely, I think it feels really special considering the results I've had of late and just especially on this surface. It definitely is special.

I think I'm able to relax a bit because, I don't know, I just feel regardless of how the rest of this tournament goes, I really think I've found, like, a bit of a breakthrough on grass.

Regardless of, yeah, how it goes, I think I'm just proud of myself. Obviously I'm not satisfied. I want to go all the way. Also, at the same time, I'm just looking at the match in front of me and just trying to keep doing better each point.

Q. When you won, the camera cut to you. It looked like you said to your box, Oh, my God, how? Is that what you said?

COCO GAUFF: Yes.

Q. What kind of sparked that reaction?

COCO GAUFF: I don't know. I'm pretty confident, but I don't know. Today was, I don't know, if you told me I would be in the semis of this tournament, I'd be, You're funny (laughter). Especially like my match in Berlin, the match last year here, the last two years just not winning anything on here.

I think it was just more like how too just because so many three-setters, and it's like how am I getting out of these matches, just winning them. Also just playing against Jess.

I'm confident in myself and the player that I am, but I'm also looking at things, I know tennis. Yeah, if I wasn't myself, I would take maybe her to win with that game style she has on this surface.

But because I am me, I pick myself. I think it was just more so that reaction came from like a third-person point of view rather than necessarily me in the moment.

Q. If you could sum up what the breakthrough was, what the breakthrough is, that would be great. Also, how are you getting through all the three-setters?

COCO GAUFF: I think the breakthrough is, I don't know, I feel like in the past there's commentary on my game, how maybe it doesn't mesh with this surface, things like that.

I think for me, I've played, like, three opponents in a row where I feel like are really tough opponents like in general, but especially for me on grass. I felt like in the first set I was maybe rushing out of some points too early, either trying to either get out of the rally or overhit too much.

Towards the end, I just really honed in on my game and realized I don't have to play a spectacular point every time to win, even though there were some spectacular points.

I think just trusting myself, trusting that my groundstrokes are good enough to be with anyone on this surface. I think my last match against Belinda showed that. Obviously today against Jess I think showed that, as well.

Q. A strange one. I saw earlier this week that Grigor was asked if he believes in destiny. It got me thinking about how much athletes have to have that sense of belief in something bigger than them, having the match in their own hands. Because of the way you broke through here as a 15-year-old, do you believe in destiny? Do you believe Wimbledon is part of that for you?

COCO GAUFF: Well, I don't know. I mean, I'm a believer in God and everything. I do feel like in a way the story is already written. But is Wimbledon part of my story? I don't know. I can't tell you.

I do think there is some matches where I play where I feel like it was a bit destiny. One of them was my final of US Open. I still don't remember in the match. I feel like I genuinely blacked out during that match. I can only remember one point really clearly, and it wasn't even match point.

I think there are moments where I play, it's like no matter what happens, today I'm going to win. But do I feel like Wimbledon is part of my destiny? If you asked me seven days ago, the answer would have been no (smiling). Honestly, I was writing it off a little bit.

But I hope it is part of my destiny, whether it's this year or in the future. I definitely would love to see my name on the champions wall, for sure.

Q. Do you pay attention to what Iga Swiatek did when she was here? She got in a rhythm, started winning, won the title. Does that give you belief? Maybe the grass is changing.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think I spoke about this at the start of the tournament, that definitely seeing her win gave me more belief, because we do have similar game styles, especially on the forehand wing. It definitely gave me more belief.

As far as the grass changing, it definitely for sure has changed over the course of tennis, over the last 15, 20 years. Do I think it's changed since I've been playing Wimbledon? I don't know if I'm actually that smart of a person to be able to tell you if I played that many matches, so I don't know.

I definitely think maybe when it was faster, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago, it would probably be even harder. As far as like from 2019 to now, I don't know if it's that much different. I think you would have to ask somebody with more experience than me.

Q. Just thinking about the schedule at this time of year, how close Wimbledon comes hot off the heels of Paris, players that are going into Paris trying to peak there, have ambitions and hopes of winning it, whether you win it or not, how difficult is it mentally to try and peak twice so close to one another? Can that be a factor in how difficult it can be at Wimbledon off the back of the French?

COCO GAUFF: Oh, for sure, I definitely think that plays the most factor as to why there's been so many different champions. Last year it was so tough to, first, rest. You're going off of clay, which is forever, Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome, eight weeks of tennis already, then plus the three weeks you're spending in Paris. You're kind of cooked at the end.

Then I played Berlin. If you're like me who usually doesn't like to play the week before, I played Berlin after three days of practice on grass. It was tough.

I did have a tough draw last year. I played Dayana Yastremska, who gives you no rhythm, can hit the ball so big, also another tough person to play on any surface, but especially grass.

This is the first year I've had like a real training block on grass. I was able to get a weekend before Berlin, really able to focus on footwork, how I wanted to play, take time to break it down. I think that is why I had success.

Even though I lost early in Berlin, I still had the whole week here to spend a lot of time on the court and on footwork and specifics, which is completely different to clay.

I definitely think that plays a role as to why, A, this tournament is so hard to defend, and B, why a lot of people who go deep in Roland Garros don't necessarily do well here.

Q. At this stage in your career, not that you're old, what gives you more satisfaction: to go into a tournament where your expectations are low and you exceed those or going into a tournament and meeting those expectations? And why?

COCO GAUFF: I don't know what's more satisfying, honestly. I think maybe when they're low and you exceed them, because I think I am so early in my career, even though I may not come into a tournament and win it, even though that's my goal, I feel like it's a steppingstone to maybe getting closer to that goal of winning.

That's what I feel like here at this tournament. I felt like at Roland Garros this year I had way too high expectations and way too much pressure on myself, because I did feel like I was playing good tennis, and it just didn't show at that tournament. I think I mentally blocked myself.

Maybe I should go into it like I'm approaching here, because those seem to be the tournaments I do better at.

Q. On court you mentioned your record on grass over the last few years. Given that background, how much does it mean to be in the semifinals here, considering your struggles on grass?

COCO GAUFF: Oh, gosh, it means a lot. Especially the road that I've had here has not been the easiest, the three-setters, the opponents I've been playing. So it definitely means a lot.

I feel like once I got through my match against Belinda, because I really wanted to make the quarterfinals here, just because I hadn't done that before, once I got through that, I felt like a load of pressure was lifted.

Today I came into the match and wasn't even nervous honestly until the match point. I think I was nervous on match point. But before that, I wasn't really nervous, because I just feel like regardless of how this tournament ends, I think I learned a lot, so much from it. It can set myself up for having success here in the future.

Q. You've become the youngest woman since Maria Sharapova in 2007 to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams.

COCO GAUFF: Oh, cool (smiling).

Q. Does it surprise you you've done it at such a young age, given your struggles recently at Wimbledon?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I didn't think this would be the year, honestly, to be fair. I mean, I think maybe the biggest thing is the athletic ability that I have. I am a good mover. I think, because of that, it translates to all surfaces. That's why I'm maybe having good results so far on all of them.

Then also, I'm not going to lie, I've been here since 15, so I've had a lot more opportunities to play these tournaments than other people. It just gives me more chances I guess of success. So I think that's also the main thing, having that early experience early on of making a second week of a slam, having that belief.

At 15, I was entering almost every slam, expecting that I can make it to the quarters. I think that was also like a big thing.

Q. Obviously you've done quite a few three-setters at this tournament. What do you tell yourself after the first set to get yourself back into it?

COCO GAUFF: Well, not as much as y'all think. Most of the time, I'm just using the bathroom, and then I'm just like, Well, leave it out there on the court. Hopefully I can leave this court with my head held high.

Sometimes I try to analyze what I did in certain moments, try to do better in the next.

Yeah, the main thing is honestly I want to play a match that I can leave, regardless of the result, proud of. That's really the main thing I've been thinking about this whole tournament.