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“Wasn’t Mentally There”: Coco Gauff Reveals What Went Wrong at WTA Abu Dhabi

Published 02/01/2021, 3:30 PM EST

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via Reuters

American teenage sensation Coco Gauff started her Australian summer tennis schedule with a tough 3-set win at WTA Melbourne 2. Gauff had started her season at WTA Abu Dhabi Open but suffered a disappointing straight-set loss to Maria Sakkari.

In her post-match press conference, Coco Gauff revealed what had gone wrong in Abu Dhabi. Tennis is a game played with physical strength as well as mental strength, and Gauff wasn’t in the right mental space in Abu Dhabi.

“Yeah definitely, last match in Abu Dhabi I wasn’t mentally there the whole match.”

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via Reuters

Coco Gauff grinds out victory at WTA Melbourne 2

Gauff was strong overall as she battled Jil Teichmann in a tight three-setter. Jil was aggressive, but Gauff never lost her intensity throughout the match.

“I knew today I had to come in and be mentally there from start to finish and that’s what I did today and I just kept telling myself, ‘Keep trying. Have another chance and just keep fighting,’ and that’s what I did,” Gauff said.

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Gauff’s first-round match went until the final set tiebreaker, where Gauff just sneaked through. The 16-year-old has been setting the benchmark for the various teenagers in the sport. She credited her offseason work for the extended stamina and energy reserve she had for the match.

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“Honestly, just being positive and mentally, it was definitely a challenging match I feel like for both of us. And I think also like all the training I did on the offseason was able to go through three tough sets and not feel that tired.”

Gauff faces 374th ranked Katie Boulter in the second round of WTA Melbourne 2, also known as the WTA Gippsland Trophy. The American is seeded 14th.

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The two WTA tournaments in Melbourne are WTA 500 events, but they also serve as a warm-up for the Australian Open 2021. The AO 2021 begins on the 8th of February, with Gauff making her second appearance in the main draw.

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Written by:

Bhavishya Mittal

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Bhavishya Mittal is a tennis author for EssentiallySports, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Manipal University. A former sports editor for The Manipal Journal, Bhavishya has also worked for The New Indian Express. He has a keen eye for many sports but he is a particularly ardent follower of tennis, with a zest to create riveting articles on the ever-evolving sport.
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