"Hopefully not anytime soon": Coco Gauff hails Elina Svitolina as an inspiration in returning from pregnancy, hopes to emulate her one day

Coco Gauff won the ASB Classic title after a tough match against Elina Svitolina, where she staged a comeback to secure her first trophy of the year with a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 victory. The American praised her opponent's high level of play and mentioned that Svitolina's comeback after becoming a mother is truly inspiring.

The Ukrainian became a mother in October 2022 and returned to the WTA tour just six months later. Svitolina quickly found her competitive rhythm, winning the WTA 250 Strasbourg Open and reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon at the age of 29. Notably, she secured a victory over the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Ending the year as the world No. 25 after participating in only nine tournaments, Svitolina returned to action in 2024 without needing an adjustment period, considering her last competition was at the US Open (a third-round defeat against Jessica Pegula).

Following her defeat against Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old extended congratulations to Svitolina and her team for their successful campaign in Auckland. She acknowledged Svitolina's inspirational ability to return to such a high level after becoming a mother, stating, "I’d like to congratulate Elina and your team. What you do, being a mom, coming back so fast at such a high level is inspiring. Hopefully, not anytime soon, I’ll be able to do it like you did."

“I don’t know if I was expecting this result, but I’m really happy with how I managed to play today. I think today level-wise was definitely not my best match or best level this week, but sometimes when you win when you’re not playing your best, it makes you feel more satisfied,” she said.

World No. 3 was also delighted with the support from the Australian crowd, who filled the stands throughout the tournament: "This is my first time ever having to defend a title, so I’m really happy I was able to do it today. Last year it rained almost every single match, and we were playing indoors with just a few people watching, so it’s really cool to play in front of a packed crowd almost every match," she added.