“It’ll be déjà vu… but different”: Coco Gauff confident before showdown against Naomi Osaka

Coco Gauff stormed into the next round of the US Open with a decisive 6–3, 6–1 victory against Magdalena Frech, but it was her honesty in the press room that resonated just as strongly as her tennis. Reflecting on her mindset, Gauff said, “Today was definitely a step in the right direction. I think for me, I’m more proud of the mental effort of things, just remembering the things we worked on in practice.”

The American teenager was asked about her serve, an area of her game under constant scrutiny. Her response was both realistic and optimistic. “Yes and no,” she said when asked if she surprised herself with improvements. “I knew this process would be up and down, so today was definitely a positive. But yeah, I think the percentage was great, and I’d love to continue to be more aggressive with it as the tournament goes.”

Attention soon turned to the atmosphere of Flushing Meadows, with questions about whether the US Open amplifies drama. Gauff didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, I think it’s A, the end of the year. B, we’re in New York and, you know, the fans here — I love them. But if you’re on the wrong side of things, they’re into the match. They’re passionate tennis fans, they know what’s going on.”

She also argued that what feels like chaos in New York often happens elsewhere, just with less publicity. “With some of the drama, I feel like it happens frequently on tour,” she explained. “But because it’s here, it gets more social media clicks. These are recurring things that, for us in the tennis world, aren’t surprising. But because it’s New York, it gets blown up. For us players, it’s just another week on tour.”

Gauff didn’t shy away from addressing her emotional outburst earlier in the week. “I don’t want that moment to happen again, like on court for sure,” she admitted. But she added, “Maybe it’s not a weakness. It’s just showing the things that happened in my head and not keeping it inside to the point where I can’t play.”

The support she received has been crucial. “Seeing how proud people are of me regardless of how I do here… I felt a lot lighter going on court today. And I hope to continue feeling that lightweight for the rest of the time here.”

Now the stage is set for a blockbuster showdown: Gauff versus Naomi Osaka. Asked to reflect on their first US Open meeting when she was just 15, Gauff admitted, “That moment, I remember it was tough, because it was a hyped-up match. I guess I put way too much pressure on myself, thinking I maybe had a chance to actually do something.”

She contrasted that memory with their rematch at the Australian Open. “When I played her in Australia, that was more belief than expectation,” she said. On Osaka herself, she added, “We aren’t super close, but we’re definitely friendly with each other. I support her from afar and all the things she’s done on and off the court.”

When asked about her performance against Fręch, Gauff explained why it was not as straightforward as the score suggested. “It was tough playing against her. I played her before and she gives you no pace, maybe not too many angles to work with,” she said. “So you have to create all the opportunity for yourself compared to my last two opponents who are hitting the ball bigger and flatter.”

Still, she was encouraged. “Overall, I’m definitely happy with how I played off the ground today. And the serve, I thought the percentage was great. I would love to continue to be more aggressive with it as the tournament goes.”

Beyond her serve, Gauff has been improving her forehand under coaches Gavin and Jean-Christophe. “Usually those are rallies I would try to get out of in the past,” she admitted. “But today, I was just trying to stay in them and wait for the right one to go in line and not rush to change direction. Already within the week we’ve had, there’s been some improvements.”

Finally, she reflected on her evolution since her teenage breakthrough. “When you’re 15, it’s very fresh and new, and you feel excited for every opportunity,” she said. “Then you start to do more interviews and you’re aware of negativity. For me, I’ve learned to just remember to stay on my path. The only expectations I have are the ones that I have of myself. When I’m out there, it’s just me being authentically myself.”