Coco Gauff was on the cusp of admitting defeat against Clara Burel at Indian Wells: "Could have easily thrown in the towel"
WTASunday, 10 March 2024 at 12:00
From 4-0 and 5-2 down in the final set, Coco Gauff escaped up the road just about against Clara Burel at Indian Wells to reach the third round where she will face Lucia Bronzetti. Albeit the American admitted she was close to throwing in the towel.
Sealing a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) win, she said she had to keep herself motivated and with a mission in mind to stop herself being down and giving the match away. But as Burel faded, Gauff took advantage and didn't succumb to another crushing defeat after recent poor losses to Katerina Siniakova in particular and also Anna Kalinskaya.
Her doubles partner Jessica Pegula on the other hand did not fare as good being dumped out by Anna Blinkova and both were very much close to only playing doubles for the remainder of the tournament.
"I think for me it's just getting through that match definitely meant a lot. Could have easily thrown in the towel. But honestly, I was just telling myself, like, win or lose, I don't want to have any regrets on the court. I want to be like I gave myself the best opportunity to win, and I did that," Coco Gauff said in her post-match press conference.
"Am I proud of how I played? Not really, to be honest, but the fight, I am proud of. I am eager to improve. I think it wasn't my best tennis at all. I think I just have a lot of improvement that I can do to get better."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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mandoist13-09-2026 - “The way I like to put it – no disrespect to anybody – is that this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home” Well now... seems John Stacy has made a complete ass of himself. Doubt he'll be receiving any invitations to Lena's "house" any time soon.mandoist13-09-2026
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AceOfBase12-09-2026
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