US OPEN

September 9, 2026

Coco Gauff

Press Conference

C. GAUFF/M. Andreeva

2-6, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Coco, congratulations. Uneven start. Slow.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Strong finish. Your thoughts?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, it was a slow start. I mean, I thought Mirra was playing a great level to come out, wasn't really making a lot of mistakes, and forcing me into some errors.

I think I was also, like, giving away points too sometimes or trying to end the point early, because I felt the pressure from her.

I was able to reset and somehow get out of that one.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Coco, what has Frances Tiafoe's example meant to you, in general? And what did it mean to you in this match today?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I mean, I think Frances was looking -- I was watching the end of that set, and it looked like he was down and out. And sometimes you just need a chance, and I think I got my chances today.

I was just really determined to not lose that second set, because I felt like I worked so hard to give myself opportunities and lost them.

Honestly, I didn't know how the third set would go, but I was just really focused on trying not to lose that second set and keep it competitive. You know, one point turned into another. Honestly, once the third set started, I felt pretty confident that I was going to come out with that one.

Yeah, I mean, sometimes you just need a little bit of inspiration, and Frances was that for me in that moment.

Q. In general, what has he meant to you?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think Frances is such a light and such a joy to have on tour. Always been so nice and just hyping me up and my family up.

He's a special type of person, and I think that everybody, almost everybody on tour, can agree that he's one of the few players who is always lighting up the room and giving respect towards, especially us women too, like hyping us up.

I think that's something really special. He's a rare person in this world and in this sport. I think, you know, hopefully everybody recognizes that.

Q. You mentioned Frances. The other men's match yesterday was also pretty epic. I'm guessing your slow start wasn't because you were watching that?

COCO GAUFF: No, I didn't see Ben and Carlos. I went to sleep after Jess's match, but I did wake up and saw the score, yeah.

Q. When or how do you find out and react when you see what happened? People last night, if you were on the East Coast and were really actually watching this, how long would you have hung in if you didn't have a match today?

COCO GAUFF: If I was out of the tournament, I probably would have tried to stay up the whole time, for sure. But because I'm in the tournament, I didn't even want to watch the match, because I knew once I started, it would be hard to go to sleep.

There has been sometimes there's matches, and I have to go to sleep in the middle of them, and it's kind of hard for me to fall asleep because I'm thinking about what's going to happen. Literally, the first thing I did this morning, I literally said my prayer really quick, and then I checked the score. I was so happy.

Then I was on Threads trying to find all the highlights and everything, and it was just an insane match, an insane night/day for American tennis. I'm really happy for Ben and Frances.

Q. This is effectively a home crowd for you. I feel like your ability generally to connect with the crowd and draw energy from them is as much of a skill as anything else you do on the court. It's not really something you can train for. I'm curious how, over the years, you have been able to develop that relationship with the crowd and how they helped you today.

COCO GAUFF: I mean, I think they welcomed me with open arms since 2019 when I first played my first US Open. I feel like I have just learned to embrace and knowing that I'm not playing to disappoint, or I'm not playing in fear of disappointing them. I'm just playing because I know they have my back regardless.

I think I remember when I played Naomi here, I was so afraid to disappoint the crowd, and not necessarily in winning or losing, but just giving a bad match or bad score-wise, which I did. I lost 3-0 or 0-3, something like that.

So I think now I don't have that fear of disappointing them. I'm just using them and knowing that when I step on this court next year or years to come, they're still going to have my back.

Q. You're not worried about giving Frances too much credit for this win?

COCO GAUFF: I know, I know. I don't like to give him any credit. Hopefully he doesn't see these.

Q. But seriously, when Mirra was kind of combusting in the third set, are you watching her, watching her body language, picking up on it and sort of seeing an opening and an opportunity that's out there? What are you telling yourself in those moments?

COCO GAUFF: Honestly, I mean, I didn't really see any negative reaction except the one racquet throw on a changeover.

Honestly, I wasn't really looking. I felt like she was calm pretty much most of the match. I mean, I don't know what the camera picked up or anything, but as far as my POV, I really didn't see any, like, bad behavior or things that may have looked tight.

I mean, I feel like, if anything, at the beginning of the match, I was showing more frustration, especially in the first set.

But, I mean, it's normal. I mean, for sure I could feel maybe in the game that there was some tension, because she started to throw in more errors, but I wouldn't say behavior-wise is something that I picked up on.

I thought she was pretty calm most of the match. I mean, she had the one throw, but I probably would have done the same thing in her position.

Q. I know we have asked you kind of a version of this question before, but I wonder if everything in the past year and hiring Gavin and taking the chance you did at the US Open last year has changed maybe how you think of your career in terms of seeing it from a longer perspective and saying, Yeah, there are going to be ups and downs, but here I am back in the final four? The top four seeds are through this year, and that hasn't happened at the US Open since 1975.

COCO GAUFF: Oh, wow.

Q. It seems like everybody has had ups and downs throughout the year, and I wonder if you take anything from that.

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, I think, for sure. Sometimes you're just so focused on the now, now, now, because you want it now, and obviously you want to take advantage of your opportunities when you have them.

But at the grand scheme of things, definitely sitting here in a different mindset and perspective than I was last year, and I think if anything, like you said, it inspires me a little bit more to keep working, as I see how much I have improved in a year.

So I'm like, Okay, if I keep putting in the work and keep refining things, I think my serve has definitely gotten better, even though my serve didn't show up well, but it's okay. It will show up tomorrow.

I think, I mean, the fact that also speaking like this is probably my worst service match at 12 doubles in a three-set, I probably would take that last year, like, so much.

So I think it's just perspective and everything. So yeah, I think hopefully I'll be here healthy next year, and hopefully I'm sitting here next year as an improved player.

Obviously I want to continue to keep my strides going here and hopefully make it to the end, but just focusing on the moment and am trying to improve match by match.

Q. Did you message either Frances or Ben after their matches last night? Second to that, in 1968 on this day Arthur Ashe won his US Open. Look at the three of you. Is that ever lost on you, or do you ever think about that?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. No, I didn't message either of them. Honestly, well, I figured I wouldn't see Ben on-site. I thought maybe I would see Frances to say something to him, but maybe I'll say something tomorrow.

Also, I don't really like to do it in the middle of the tournament, because I feel like it's a bad luck or omen, so I usually don't like to text anyone while they're playing in a tournament, because I don't want to screw up momentum.

I think Madison had the same thing with Frances, and the one thing he didn't text her, she won the Australian Open. I was, like, let me not ruin it for either of them.

But to answer the question with Arthur Ashe, I think it's so incredible. Honestly, especially on the men's side, I never thought I would see, be able to have the chance to see like an all-Black semifinal between the guys in my lifetime, honestly.

You just look at, even growing up, just look at who was playing, I just never thought that that would be able to happen. And to have also me in the semis, I think it's really cool.

Obviously I have so much respect for both Ben and Frances, so I'm just rooting for a good match, and hopefully whoever wins can bring it home.

Q. Just seeing the way you held your nerve in that second set made me think about your self-belief and how we have really seen that, especially this summer during the hard court swings, in Cincinnati, too. Do you feel like you've made some steps recently this summer in that area?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah, definitely. I think I learned a lot. You know, I played a couple of tiebreakers this year and got to learn from them.

Honestly, just believing is all I can do. I mean, the game may not always show up, but, you know, I can control the belief in myself.

I think even if it's delusional, I think the more instances that I keep showing up and maybe being successful in those moments, maybe that delusion will be more factual, I guess, yeah.

Q. What does it mean to have your brother at your matches? I know your brother Codey has said he's learned a lot from you as an athlete. What have you learned from him or either of your brothers?

COCO GAUFF: I will start with Codey. I think Codey is like -- he has a big belief system, as well. I think I learn so much from him, and, you know, he's kind of been the underdog in a lot of scenarios.

So I think for me just to see him continuing to shine and outplay a lot of his peers, despite maybe not being the tallest or the strongest, I think is so inspiring. He's definitely, like, the rock of our sibling trio we have going on.

Cameron, he was there the other night. He couldn't come today. I think he just has so much joy. I think if joy was a person, I think that would be Cameron. And the way he plays and supports me and Codey I think is just joy. I just love being around him.

I had treatment the other night. I was just, like, Just sit in the room. You don't have to say anything. But he has the type of energy you want to feed off of.

I'm very grateful to both of them. That's probably the most they ever heard me talking about them. Don't send this to them (laughing). I don't want them to see this.

Q. Your next opponent, what are your thoughts on that challenge, your experience with her, and how things might be different now, given where you both are in your game?

COCO GAUFF: Yeah. I mean, Elena is playing some great tennis. You know, congrats to her for being the new World No. 1 or will be the new World No. 1. I think that's incredible.

We played each other in Toronto. You know, didn't go my way, so I think I just have to learn from that match.

I know I'm going to have some aces hit on me and some winners hit on me, but I'm going to keep fighting and give it my all. That's all I can do.