Coco Gauff Opens Up on Loss to Naomi Osaka at US Open

"Today was disappointing."

"Today was disappointing because it was the best I served all tournament. A lot of aces. Yeah, there were some doubles. But I thought that was a good performance from me serving. And off the ground, I made way too many mistakes, way too many errors," explained Gauff.

"Which I feel like that was part of the game, I felt the most confident coming into the tournament. So, it was kind of a weird match, feeling confident in different areas, swapping."

Gauff concluded, "It's disappointing, for sure. It was not the level I wanted to bring. But it is a step in the right direction. I think, emotionally, how much this week was, today I stepped in and maybe was a little bit empty. But she forced me to earn every point out there today."

"I would have been out in the first round."

Gauff revealed that she broke down to her team after losing today's match. However, her spirits were lifted after hearing their perspectives.

"It definitely is a lot of positive things. I think if I kept the way I was going in Cincinnati, to here, I would have been out in the first round. So, I think where my serve started from the start of the tournament to today was a big improvement. Now I just have to get everything to work together."

"I have no choice but to do a training block."

Catherine Whitaker of The Tennis Podcast asked Gauff if she planned to take time for a training block or continue doing it at events on tour.

"I have no choice but to do a training block between now and Beijing, just the next tournament I'm signed up for. I've said this every year, after the US Open for me, is just improvement mode to get ready for Australia [Open]," explained Gauff.

"I don't think I fully believed in that plan."

When asked why it has been tough since Roland Garros, Gauff explained that she knew she needed to make an improvement and did not like her old coach's game plan. "We tried something after Roland Garros, and it didn't really work, and I don't think I fully believed in that plan."

Gauff added, "I knew I needed to make an improvement, and I was trying things with it. I feel like this is actually the right step forward. In Cincinnati, I don't think I had enough time to make that adjustment."

"I am not going to let this crush me."

Gauff ended her press conference on a positive note. "There are a lot of positives to take from this tournament, and I'm trying to be positive in front of you guys. I promise you that I don't feel that way right now, but I am not going to let this crush me. I look forward to the future and making more improvements."

The US Open singles tournament runs through September 7.