"Naomi’s a two-time champion here, so she’s earned that" - Gauff in awe of Osaka's walk-on outfit as she advocates for more fashion freedom

Coco Gauff had to defeat her very good friend Hailey Baptiste the hard way, coming back from a set deficit to dump out her fellow American 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open. She spoke on their friendship while also commenting on the infamous walk-on in her first round match.

So far, so good for the two-time Grand Slam champion who is making steady progress through the event. This was by far her toughest match yet in terms of how it played out, but she proved to have the goods to get the better of Baptiste.

"I thought I just had to keep trying to be aggressive. She was dictating a lot, especially on her forehand side, so I was trying my best to neutralise that," she began in her press conference. "I thought I served better in the second and third sets, got more first serves in, and overall just tried to put her on the back foot rather than me being on the back foot."

Once a young prodigy herself, Gauff has now risen to become one of the best players in the world despite only being 21-years-old. She has a great future, but so do a whole heap of other talented tennis players on the WTA Circuit. Some examples from this event include Victoria Mboko, Iva Jovic, Brenda Fruhvirtova and Tereza Valentova, all having notable moments Down Under.

Gauff was quick to praise them. "They’re all great players. I’ve played two of them—I haven’t played Jović yet—but watching them, they’re all very talented and they believe they can be out here with the top players," she said.

"That belief was something I had when I was younger, and belief can take you really far. I don’t know Valentova that well off court, but I played her at the French Open last year and she seemed really nice. They all seem like good people, which makes them easy to root for, both as a player and as a fan. Hopefully when I play them I can win—but if not, it’s okay."

Gauff has been in their position before, and being a young raw talent can give you that fearlessness when playing the best in the world, as Gauff confirmed. "For sure. Your first couple of years on tour are usually the easiest because there’s no pressure, no points to defend, and not much scouting on you," she uttered. "That was the mentality I had, and honestly this year I felt like I needed to get back to that because now it’s actually more factual than when I was 15 or 16. If I had advice for anyone, it would be to keep that mentality throughout your career, because as you get older, it should become even more true."

The pair have known each other since they were very young, playing tennis together through the youth ranks before coming out as the players they have become. That special bond still remains, with Gauff in utter disbelief they are playing each other on the biggest stage of them all.

"When you put it in perspective, yeah, it’s pretty cool," she admitted. "I’ve gotten used to seeing both of us do well, but if you told us back then that we’d be playing each other on this stage, it would’ve been crazy. I don’t even think we really played each other in juniors—we were always at the same tournaments but never matched up. So to play each other at a Grand Slam is really special."

Not just the players themselves, but the families as well who put so much work in behind the scenes. "I’m especially happy for our parents. Both her parents and my parents have been heavily involved in our tennis our whole lives. Seeing her dad in her box and knowing my dad is here too—it just reminds you of everything they did to help us get here."

One of the highlights of week one at Melbourne Park has to be the iconic outfit Osaka wore out onto Rod Laver Arena for her opening round match against Antonia Ruzic. The two-time champion caught the headlines with a unique fashion choice, something that is rarely seen to occur when walking out for a match.

It is fair to say that Gauff is a fan. "That was really cool. We’ve had ideas in the past, but I’ve always said I’d want to win the tournament first," she said, "Naomi’s a two-time champion here, so she’s earned that."

She was in high praise for the former world number one. "Really, anyone can do it—there are no rules in fashion—but that arrival was insane. I thought it was really cool, and what she’s doing for the sport and fashion brings new eyes to tennis."

The freedom in tennis to choose your outfit is something that the American really likes. "I’ve always said brands don’t capitalise enough on the fact that tennis players can literally wear whatever they want on court. Other than golf, we’re one of the only sports where that’s true. I’m lucky with New Balance, and I think it’s even cooler that I read it was Naomi’s idea and Nike wasn’t really involved with the on-court part."

Something that maybe Gauff has struggled with in recent times is consistency on court. She can go from struggling with aspects of her game and going out early in tournaments to winning the biggest events on offer. Take for example her woes on the North American hardcourt swing before going on to win the Wuhan Open.

"It’s about building confidence," she stated. "Today I served much better in the second and third sets. I feel like I have the right motion and I’m working on the right things—now it’s about erasing old habits and actually doing it.

While there were nerves at parts, she looks to eradicate them with an improvement in her serve. "There were moments where I was nervous, but I’m getting better with each match at handling pressure. Over the season, I want fewer ups and downs, and I think that really correlates with my serve. If I can keep improving that, the results will be more consistent because I won’t be giving away so many free points with double faults."

Many players have different methods in switching off from the intense sport that is tennis. Gauff has her own methods. "I’ve been listening to Endless by Frank Ocean—that’s really chill. I’ve also been listening to an EP by Natalia Lacunza recently; it just has good vibes."

It is not only music she utilises. "I like going to the movies a lot. Yesterday I finally saw Marty Supreme. It was not relaxing at all—very stressful—but really cool. They even had a promo where you could play table tennis for ice cream, and I didn’t do it, which I regret," she concluded.