Like the majority of the tennis community, young American sensation, Coco Gauff also seemed to be surprised by the sudden retirement of Ashleigh Barty. After facing a third-round loss in Indian Wells, Gauff is now in Miami to complete at the third WTA Masters 1000 of this year.

During her pre-tournament press conference of the Miami Masters, Gauff was questioned about her own mortality in tennis. World No. 17 was also asked to share her thoughts on Barty’s retirement.

The tennis mortality of Coco Gauff

The 18-year-old Gauff turned pro in 2018. Winning two career titles to date, the American is one of the young players who possess a massive potential to leave a mark in the history of the game. Over a period of 4 years, Gauff has outplayed some of the biggest names in women’s tennis like Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, and Paula Badosa. 

Having all the stars aligned, Gauff’s career definitely seems to be on the rise. Answering the tennis mortality question, Gauff said, “I haven’t thought about retiring anytime soon (laughter). Not about that.”

Even though Barty’s retirement came as a shocker to everyone, many people also saw the positive side of her retirement. Coco Gauff was no different. Gauff, who was outplayed by Barty at the 2022 Adeliade International 1, asserted that she is glad that Barty retired on her own terms. She further confessed that this was the most joyful factor in Barty’s retirement for her.

“I obviously wish Ash the best. I was definitely surprised this morning when I saw it. I’m glad she was able to retire on her own terms, not due to injury or something. For me, that’s what I was the most happy about. I wish her the best in this next chapter”, she expressed.

The savage move of Ashleigh Barty

Speaking about Barty’s retirement, Gauff was further asked about her immediate reaction to learning about Barty’s retirement. She was also asked how did she process the fact that Barty is walking away from being World No. 1.

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Instead of giving a serious answer, Gauff opted to add a pinch of humor. She said, I mean, actually, I can’t say that word, I was going to say that’s such a savage move. I was going to say something else, but I can’t (laughter). That’s such a savage way to leave, I shouldn’t say leave, but end your career on that.” 

Barty is known for her on-court excellence. Having won three Grand Slam titles and being the World No. 1 for 121 weeks, Ashleigh Barty expressed that she had nothing more to offer on a tennis court. However, keeping her on-court performance aside, only a few know the off-court personality of the Australian Champion.

Guaff expresses her thoughts on Barty’s off-court personality

Putting light on Barty’s off-court personality, Coco said, “What sticks out to me the most about Ash, she’s such a nice person off the court. Obviously on-court we know what a great player she is. But she is such a great person, so I wish her the best.”

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In the retirement announcement of Ash Barty, she mentioned that she has some other dreams to pursue as well. Expressing her views on that, Gauff ended her answer by saying, “I’m really excited to see what she has. I saw the video. She says she has some things planned. I’m excited to see what career path or things she has planned next.”

Coco Gauff in Miami

Having a season full of ups and downs, Gauff enters the Miami Open to try her luck in a tournament she calls her ‘home tournament’. Entering the tournament as the 14th seed, the 18-year-old American will lock horns against Wang Qiang in her Round-of-64 clash in Miami.