Coco Gauff has dismissed any notion that her long nails affect her forehand, insisting they are 'here to stay' as she heads into the DC Open final against Maria Sakkari.
World No. 7 Gauff has had a successful run at the WTA 500 event in Washington. The American has not yet dropped a set going into the final against world No. 9 Sakkari, and has so far defeated the likes of Belinda Bencic and Liudmila Samsonova.
Speaking after her quarter-final match against sixth seed Bencic, Gauff described how she was entering 'a new era', but underlined that one thing was staying the same.
The 19-year-old told reporters how she was switching up several things in her life right now. The main change comes in the new addition of Brad Gilbert to her team, who has coached the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray in the past.
However, Gauff also spoke of how she is developing her gameplay and even changing her hair, although she is still unsure if she likes her new hairstyle.
"I don't know if I really like that [her new hairstyle] yet or no, but yeah, I guess you could see this is new era, new coaching, new team, new everything," she said.
However, the 2022 French Open finalist declared that she would be keeping her long nails, despite some fans' concerns that they affect her forehand during matches.
Gauff dismissed this notion, claiming that her forehand was exactly the same when she cut her nails short.
"I know a lot of people think I need to cut my nails to help me with my forehand better. I'm like, I did try the short nails, and it did not make my forehand better. These are here to stay. So, yeah (laughing)," she added.
Coco Gauff on her forehand & long nails: “I know a lot of people think I need to cut my nails to help me win a forehand better. I did try the short nails, & it did not make my forehand better. These are here to stay. 😂 I need to move my feet. That's what I need to do.”
