Coco Gauff suffered a tough loss in the fourth round at the 2023 Australian Open but the American tennis player still has high hopes for the future.
The 18-year-old was emotional following the defeat. Gauff choked up in her news conference after losing to Jelene Ostapenko in straight sets and the world No. 7 admitted that she was a little frustrated after leaving the Margaret Court Arena.
Earlier this week, Gauff hinted that college was always something she wanted to do in the future but is currently focusing on her WTA Tour ranking.
Gauff Defeated in Fourth-Round at Australian Open
Despite being disappointed following her loss against Ostapenko, Gauff felt like she learned a lot in the match.
Ostapenko was relentless, serving up 30 winners and denying Gauff on break point in seven of eight opportunities. The Latvian player is the former 2017 French Open champion and took advantage of breakpoint opportunities and not giving Gauff a chance.
“When you play a player like her and she plays really, well, it’s like there’s nothing you can do,” Gauff said.
Ostapenko is set to take on Elena Rybakina in the quarter-final at the Australian Open. Rybankina is red hot after handing world No.1 Iga Swiatek a fourth-round exit on Saturday.
The Future for Coco Gauff
While Gauff is out of the singles part of the tournament, she looks to continue competing on the Australian Open Doubles circuit. Gauff and partner Jessica Pegula have sailed through to the quarter-final round.
As Gauff refocuses her attention on the doubles and her WTA career, it seems like the 18-year-old will be holding off on college classes for at least another year.
Gauff looks to improve her top-10 ranking and her major expectations of winning her first Grand Slam title.
“[College] is something I want to do in the future. I’m not doing anything right now. I said I want a year of being on tour and just being tennis — and seeing how I feel,” she said earlier in the week”
Gauff Isn’t Ready To Be the Face of Tennis
Gauff began making headlines earlier in her career by defeating Venus Williams at 15 years old. After her rise to the World No. 7 player and the retirement of Serena Williams, many expected Gauff to become the new face of tennis.
However, Gauff explained that the expectations of being the face of the game can be tough on a young player.
“With Serena Williams retiring, I feel like people are eager to see a new face of the game emerge,” Gauff said. “But it is tough as a young player to think of yourself as a ‘face of the game’.
Gauff went on to say that the young players don’t have the experience yet to be the face of the game.
“Players like myself, or my second-round opponent Emma Raducanu, don’t quite have the
experience yet. It will come with trying, failing, learning, getting back up, and trying again.”
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