"I'd never experienced that type of country in my life" - Gauff relishes time off court to watch Beyonce and swim with alligators

After a disappointing grass campaign, Gauff will be looking to get back on form ahead of the US Open. Before the last major of the year, all eyes are on the Masters 1000 tounrament in Cincinnati, with Gauff beginning her campaing off in perfect fashion, overcoming Chinese star Xinyu Wang 6-3, 6-2.

The American came out on top in Paris to claim her first Roland Garros title and her second Grand Slam earlier in the year, but came unstuck on grass, not winning a set in the two matches she played. The 21-year-old got back on winning terms in Montreal, but could only reach the last-16, falling short to the eventual winner, 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, in a big shock.

Despite this, she swiftly put that disappointment behind her to go and win the doubles tournament, with her and fellow American McCartney Kessler winning a last-leg tiebreaker 10-1 against the seventh seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez.

Gauff and Wang have shared the court recently, having last played in the Wimbledon first round, in which Gauff was defeated in straight sets. It was a nervy start to the game, with five breaks of serve in the first six games. Gauff, who survived break points in the first game, managed to keep herself in front and sealed the first set in fine fashion.

Gauff goes into the tournament as the number two in the world, and showed why she is one of the best players in the world in the second set, overpowering Wang in less than 30 minutes. This victory puts her through to the last 16, where she will face Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, who, along with Wang, defeated her on grass a couple of months ago.

Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Gauff stated that she felt good but is still adapting from Montreal. "I mean off the ground it felt pretty good and I had a shaky start with the serve but was able to push through and figure that out. I felt good off the ground all week playing in practice. So I'm glad it transferred today. It's definitely a little bit faster than Montreal. So definitely an adjustment that I'm still adjusting to."

Gauff struggled with her serve early on, but stayed patient and found a way to adjust it, which ended up paying off. She said: "I think just taking my time and remembering the things we worked on in practice and just trying not to, I guess, fall into the same old patterns and yeah, it's definitely difficult in the moment, but it's a work in progress."

The Masters 1000 tournament has a different look to it this year. After Jannik Sinner tasted triumph in 2024, the organisers got to work revamping it to what it looks like now. They splashed $260 million to get it up to scratch, making it a more pleasant experience for fans and players, with new state-of-the-art facilities for them to enjoy.

More courts have been added, including a whole new 2,300-seater Champions Court. These changes have caught the attention of Gauff, who is happy to see this level of investment in her home country. She also talks about how much it means for her to play here, and the love and support she regularly receives from her fans.

"For me it's been great. I mean, the fan excitement is always the same. I've stayed after practice like 40 minutes signing autographs just because of how thoughtful the fans are here and they really know a lot of players and the facilities are great. To see this kind of investment in tennis, especially American tennis in the states is really cool."

After Wimbledon, Gauff decided to take a tactical break, resting and preparing for the North American hard-court swing in the calendar. This included stepping away from the court and engaging in some fun activities, including watching a Beyonce show and travelling to central Florida to go kayaking and swimming, with the lurking threat of alligators not putting Gauff off.

"Yeah, it was a great I was home so I was able to get my life organised from being in Europe for basically two months," Gauff said. "So, I just felt organised. I got to go see Beyonce, which was really cool. Then afterwards, we drove up to like Central Florida, I'd never experienced that type of country in my life. But it was great. We went up there, we went in the kayaking. I was out there with the gators. I was swimming in the springs and it was great. I saw a gator while we were in the kayak.

"No [not afriad]. I trusted our guide and he was like, 'if you don't bother them, they won't bother you'. And we were swimming in the same direction and then he kind of saw that and then he turned around and went the other way. I think he's more scared of us. It was good to reconnect with nature and yeah, I would do I would do it again."

As well as enjoying herself off the court, Gauff never strayed too far away from one. She committed a lot of hours to keep her level and fitness up and to make sure that she was in the best condition ahead of what is a busy and important part of the tennis calendar.

"Yeah, definitely. I mean, my break was like I was practising still for like four hours, five hours a day. So, I was still practising, but I guess the time away from tournaments. I think it for me it was just able to just rediscover my game, and especially like being an American, being in Europe think that's the biggest part. I've learned on tour that it's important to get out. So, I force myself to do stuff. I do a lot of stuff by myself."