"I definitely wouldn’t want to have kids while I’m still playing" - Coco Gauff shares intentions on becoming mother in future after breaking new ground in Miami

Coco Gauff is breaking new ground at the Miami Open. She is set to appear in the quarterfinal stage for the first ever time with a huge opportunity to go deeper into an event that means a lot to her. She took down Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

After the pair traded several breaks, Gauff finally got the advantage and won the final three games of the first set to steal a march on her opponent. Cirstea came fighting back, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win five games on the spin to force a deciding set. The momentum was firmly on her side but Gauff was not going to let it go her way. She was a lot more comfortable on her serve, not being met with a single break point throughout that third set enroute to picking up a huge victory against what was a tricky match expertly traversed.

"I thought today was a good day," Gauff began in her press conference. "I had a lot of momentum, and it changed really quickly—but that’s tennis. It’s about learning from those moments and figuring out how to stay on top. Sorana Cirstea is obviously a great player, and she’s had a great season, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy."

The match was halted briefly for a medical emergency in the stands after a woman was taken ill. Play would eventually continue when the situation was dealt with. Gauff was glad to hear that the person was doing better. "I’m glad to hear she’s okay," she said. "It was a bit of a wait—I think it took around 10 minutes for a proper medical response, and my physio actually went over to help. From where we were, it looked like she wasn’t moving, which was worrying. But I heard it was a leg issue and she fainted from the shock. I’m just really glad she’s okay."

This being her home event does not excuse the poor form experienced in Florida. Gauff has struggled in the past to get a string of results together at the Miami Open, failing to make it past the fourth round in her prior six participations. It was also her second lowest win percentage WTA 1000 tournament behind the Qatar Open.

However, this year seems to be different. She is set to feature in a maiden last-eight appearance in Miami at the seventh time of asking. "I guess it wouldn’t happen any other way than having to put some work in," she admitted. "In previous years here, I’ve had some tough matches, and maybe mentally I wasn’t fully there. Today, I just wanted to stay mentally engaged, and that made a difference."

Pressure may have been a factor before coming to her home event. A lot more attention would be placed on the shoulders on the 21-year-old who is already under enough scrutiny. However, she has been able to utilise her vast experience and get herself into a mindset to compete.

Yeah, I think there’s always an extra layer when you’re playing at home," she stated. "You see familiar faces in the crowd and you don’t want to disappoint them. This year, I came in with the mindset of just enjoying the environment and the match instead of focusing too much on the result. Even though I’ve had tough matches, I’ve had a lot of fun. I think the key is embracing the situation rather than putting pressure on it."

She will take on Belinda Bencic, who is getting back to her best form after a lightning start to the year. She showed her worth on court by dropping just four games in a routing against two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova. It is an ominous message sent out to the world number four who is ready for the challenge. "With Belinda, we played recently in Beijing—it was a three-set match, and I managed to come through. She’s also been having a great season."

Elena Rybakina is considered one of the best servers, if not the best, on the WTA Tour. She has risen to world number two thanks partly to it, clinching the WTA Finals and Australian Open title while squandering a match point in the final of Indian Wells against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff is nowhere near the levels of the Kazakh when it comes to serving, relying on other strengths in her game. It is something that she has been trying to work on with varying amounts of success. One of the factors is the ball toss. A graphic based on hers was shown with that key element the American wants to prioritise, using Rybakina as an example.

"I did see it. It’s something I’ve been working on. I know my toss isn’t as consistent as I’d like," she commented. "When the pressure hits, sometimes you’re just trying to get the serve in—you’re not even thinking about disguising it. But it’s definitely something I’m trying to improve. I’d like to get to the level of someone like Elena Rybakina, where the toss is very consistent every time. It’s one of the areas we’re working on."

It is hard to believe that Gauff is still only 21-years-old despite being at the top level of tennis for around six years. She still has a long way to go before the thought of hanging her racket up even comes close to being considered.

That still did not stop a reporter from asking her that question, emphasising on her ambitions to become a mother. "I definitely wouldn’t want to have kids while I’m still playing—that’s something I’m pretty certain about," she adamantly said. "But you never know. Players like Serena Williams and Venus Williams have said similar things before."

Other possibilities include coaching and commentating, two obvious routes for retired players. Gauff instantly ruled one of them out but has started to warm to the other. "I don’t think I’d want to coach—you probably won’t see me doing that. At first I said no to commentating too, but now it actually looks kind of fun, so maybe I’d consider something like that."