"If I lose the first match somewhere else, I don’t get to play again": Gauff and Fritz relish team events such as United Cup

Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz once again found themselves at the heart of Team USA’s United Cup success, as the Americans clinched another tie decided by the finest of margins to secure their place in Sydney by seeing off Greece.

For the third straight match, the tie came down to mixed doubles, and Gauff played a pivotal role — not only with her tennis, but with her ability to embrace the pressure that comes with the team format.

“I think it was a team effort, especially in the tiebreaker,” Gauff said in their press conference. “I never thought I would get doubles advice from Taylor, but it was actually successful, and I appreciate it. In those moments — literally in tiebreaks — every point matters more so than maybe in a three-set format.”

Gauff admitted the decisive moments tested her nerves more than anything she had experienced earlier in the week. “That tiebreaker, I did feel the nerves for the first time this whole event,” she said. “But feeling those nerves over and over again helps you learn how to manage them. Hopefully later in a Grand Slam, I’ll feel those same nerves and know how to handle them better because of experiences like today.”

The world number one also highlighted how valuable the constant input from the bench proved in the biggest moments. “It definitely came down to the wire,” she said. “I really appreciated the whole team talking to us, pumping us up, and seeing things that maybe we couldn’t see on the court.”

Asked to reveal the advice she received from Fritz during the tiebreak, Gauff smiled and kept her cards close. “I mean, it worked, so we’ll keep it a secret.”

Earlier in the day, Fritz had been involved in a high-quality singles battle, pushing Stefanos Tsitsipas despite facing an opponent in outstanding serving form. “It was a bit of a weird one because I felt like, for the most part, I was playing pretty well,” Fritz said. “I felt like I kind of had all the shots that I needed. When I was missing balls, they didn’t feel like bad misses — they felt good.”

The American felt his level remained strong throughout the contest, even as the match slipped away. “The whole time, up until it was over, I felt like I was going to find a way to win the match because everything was kind of working for me,” he said. “There were just some errors at some bad times that were a bit unlike me. He played well and served really well when he needed it.”

Despite the loss, Fritz believes the United Cup’s team format is an ideal way to open the season. “I always love the team events,” he said. “We’re all coming off an offseason and you’re guaranteed matches. If I lose the first match somewhere else, I don’t get to play again. Here, I get another match the next night. It’s really good to start the year.”

Gauff echoed that sentiment, stressing how the pressure of playing for teammates adds a unique edge. “The team format creates pressure — not just in singles, but especially in moments like that tiebreaker,” she said. “That’s something you don’t always get in a normal tournament.”

Christian Harrison, who partnered Gauff in the decisive mixed doubles, praised the collective mindset that carried the team through another tight finish. “It means a lot,” Harrison said. “Honestly, it’s just nice to have the team around. We needed some strategy adjustments, everybody was speaking up, and we were just ready to try to execute as well as we could.”

Team captain Michael Russell summed up the group’s resilience after yet another tie decided by a single point. "They fought exceptionally hard,” Russell said. “The support from the whole team was amazing. It literally came down to one point again, and everyone just gets behind one another. I’m really proud of how everyone played. At the end of the day, we’re going to Sydney.”

Looking ahead, Gauff is prepared for whatever challenge awaits in the next round, whether it is a familiar battle or a new matchup altogether. “Either way, I have my hands full,” she said. “But I’m just excited to go to Sydney and hopefully play some good tennis.”