Coco Gauff's title defense at the US Open came to an end on Saturday after a hard-fought battle, resulting in a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro. This marked Gauff's second consecutive Grand Slam loss to Navarro, but the 2023 champion remained grounded in her post-match reflections.
"It's not the summer I wanted," Gauff admitted. "But I know there are about 70 other players who would love to have had the summer I had, even though my results dipped during this time of year.
"Lots of people dream of reaching the fourth round, making the Olympics, or being a flag bearer. It's all about perspective. While it's disappointing because I aim for more, I'm not going to beat myself up and say it was terrible.
"I have higher expectations for myself, but at the end of the day, it happened, and I know I can turn things around."
Gauff entered the US Open after winning just three matches since Wimbledon. It had been a challenging period for the World No. 3, who reached the Round of 16 at both the Olympics and in Toronto before exiting early in Cincinnati.
However, after some much-needed time at home in Florida, Gauff arrived at her first Grand Slam title defense in good spirits. She dismissed any suggestions that she was mentally drained from her Olympic debut or overwhelmed by pressure.
"Mentally and emotionally, I gave it my all," Gauff said. "Of course, there were things I wish I could have executed better, like my serve. I think if I had done that, the match might have gone differently.
"But Emma played really well. She was aggressive on my second serve, putting more pressure on me, and she was solid from the baseline. I expected that from her.
"Emotionally, I have no regrets, but I do wish I could have executed better."
There are times when it's just about the tennis, and even Gauff's relentless defense and fierce competitiveness couldn’t overcome 19 double faults and 29 unforced forehand errors. Gauff admitted to some mechanical issues that need addressing—"I tend to drop down on my left side a lot during my serve, and it's something I'm aware of"—but finding the time to work on these corrections is tough when you're a top player in an Olympic year.
Gauff is hopeful that a solid training block will help her regain form before the Asian swing.
"I haven't had that kind of training block since maybe before the clay season," Gauff said. "We'll see how things go in Asia. Obviously, if I qualify [for the WTA Finals], I'll play. But in the long term, I definitely want to get a good training block in, and we'll see how many tournaments I end up playing for the rest of the year."
Post a Comment