"My team was like, 'If Carlos can do it, you can do it'" - Preparation for WTA Finals sees Coco Gauff reverting to Alcaraz training methods

Coco Gauff is becoming a familiar inclusion in the WTA Finals in recent years. The former champion is back for more, with the backing of a certain ATP Spanish talent after a specific training drill was completed.

The American No.1 is very thrilled to be returning to home soil and competing in a fifth consecutive WTA Finals campaign. "Really excited about being at the Finals again," she said in her press conference. "Especially playing here at Indian Wells, familiar space, a player's favourite for sure. Just happy to be back here and hopefully have a good tournament."

Still only 22, it feels like Gauff has been around for such a long time now. Breaking onto the scene as a 15-year-old, she first qualified for the WTA Finals in 2022, failing to get out of the round robin. She was battered by Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals of the 2023 tournament before going on to come back from a set down to defeat Zheng Qinwen in the final of the 2024 version. She failed to back up that title success last time out, winning just one match and failing to advance into the knockout phase.

A staple among the best eight players in the world, this consistency at the highest level is something that Gauff is very proud of. "I mean, I think I'm always usually a focus on what's next type of person, but definitely here five times in a row is definitely something to be proud of because consistently being amongst the top eight players of the world for some time now.

"I think definitely that's an accomplishment. I just think sometimes when you're in it, you don't really realise how big of a deal it is. There's moments when you look at the photos and stuff, you are just like, wow, I'm here. I grew up watching the tournament. It's been here for a second now."

While Indian Wells is at the opposite side of the country to Gauff's native Florida, it is still American soil she is stepping on. The facilities in California are being used due to the early cancellation of the contract in Riyadh, where they played the last two WTA Finals.

The Saudi Arabian capital has been replaced by the Californian desert, with its much quieter than the usual atmosphere, a strange feeling for Gauff compared to the normally bustling scenes of a WTA 1000 event.

"I mean, it's definitely weird being here, finding a table to sit in players dining, just having a lot more space. It feels nice. Obviously it's going to be -- you know, we're in the quiet days right now, so it's nice to be, like, be around the site, actually enjoy the site, which we normally can't do. Yeah, I'm just looking forward to playing on this court."

Aside from that, there are very few contrasts to when they usually play there. "As far as differences? It feels very similar to March. I think it's warmer now than it typically is in March. Other than that, I feel like it's the same."

Being back in the USA at the end of October is a huge positive for the two-time Grand Slam champion. She finally got to celebrate Halloween by going out and had time to relax ahead of a busy period. "It was really cool," she admitted. "It was my first Halloween home since I think I started playing WTA Finals, so five years. It was nice to just be able to actually go out in my costumes, not just take pictures in them.

"I had a mix of rest and training while I was at home. Kind of treating it like the off-season for a little bit, then a little bit of a pre-season, too, just because right after this I have BJK Cup, then it's Thanksgiving, then it's time to start for pre-season again. Just trying to think I'm fresh for 2027."

One of the drills in her training sessions looked very familiar to what a certain Carlos Alcaraz does. She posted a video doing this drill, but it was not the obvious coaches that sourced this new training exercise.

"It was actually neither. It was my fitness coach Fabian," Gauff explained. "I was thinking it was just for, like, his wrist. It was actually working on spacing, coordination with the ball and stuff."

It took some time to get used to it, even speaking to the seven-time Grand Slam champion about it. "Actually I didn't like it at first because I kept hitting the pole. Then I started to like it. I actually like talked to Carlos a little bit. He said he was messing up in the beginning a lot first, too, so that made me feel better about myself. My team was like, 'If Carlos can do it, you can do it.' I'm like, 'He's Carlos and I'm me. He doesn't post his bloopers.'"

This message came after she continued to mess up. "I posted it. He messaged me. I had to get confirmation to make sure I wasn't the only one messing up."

The two Americans will battle it out in their opening contest in the 2026 WTA Finals. Gauff and Pegula both qualified with relative ease in the end, sacrificing much of their Asian swings to come to Indian Wells fit and fresh.

They have faced each other 10 times, equally sharing out the spoils. However, it is Gauff who has the momentum heading into this latest showdown. She came out on top in the Wimbledon quarter-final and Cincinnati Open final earlier this year, boding very well for more success against a familiar foe.

"I think it's more complicated in a sense," she stated. "I mean, obviously it's good to play someone that you already faced before. I mean, new matchups are always difficult. But I feel like when you get to the point where you've played someone so many times, that's where it becomes really more difficult, just because of the fact that you got to capitalise on do things you do well, but also know they're going to change things, vice versa.

"We know each other's games. I feel like tennis is already mental. When you play somebody so many times, it becomes even more mental because you're both trying to figure out to go away from your own patterns, because they know your patterns. If that makes sense."

The duo have both received a boost from the concerning news surrounding Elena Rybakina. The World No.1 and reigning champion was forced to withdraw from the tournament, with her the headline act in their group. Marta Kostyuk has stepped in, with Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova rounding off Group A.