'I felt so discombobulated on the court': Devastated Coco Gauff reflects after US Open defeat to Naomi Osaka

Coco Gauff was unable to replicate her successes on these courts in 2023 as she fell to the two-time US Open champion and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-2. The American admitted she struggled to find her rhythm despite producing her best serving display of the tournament, undone by unforced errors from the baseline and difficulties on the return.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, Gauff was candid about the disappointment of the defeat but remained determined to treat it as part of her growth. She reflected on her performance, her mindset, and her new coaching setup, while also crediting Osaka for the level she brought. Across nearly ten minutes of questioning, Gauff opened up about the emotional toll of the past few weeks and how she intends to reset after the US Open, with her upcoming training block before returning in Beijing.

Thoughts on overall performance

Asked how she felt about her performance overall, Gauff praised her serve but admitted her groundstrokes let her down. "Obviously, Naomi played well. Today was disappointing because I felt 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 for me serving. And off the ground, I think I just made way too many mistakes, way too many errors, which I feel like that’s the part of my game that I felt the most confident in coming into the tournament.".

Although Gauff credited the strength of her serve, she managed just three aces against five double faults. Reflecting afterwards, she said: "So it was kind of a weird match, feeling confident in different areas, swapping. It was disappointing for sure. It was not the level that I wanted to bring, but it is a step in the right direction, I feel. And I think emotionally how much this week was, I think today I just stepped in and I maybe was a little bit empty, but she forced me to earn every point out there today.".

Gauff admitted she could not find the balance in her game despite flashes of improvement.

“It was kind of the opposite of how I’ve been playing the last couple of years where my ground game was strong and I wasn’t serving as well. It was kind of opposite today. Usually I serve maybe a little bit less but then I’m winning way more second-serve points. I just felt so discombobulated on the court. I was serving well but not returning well, which for the last two years I think everyone can agree is a weird thought... 
But I think it was progress. After the match, I was really disappointed and I broke down to my team, but then hearing their perspectives, there’s definitely positives to take away. The serve is definitely a positive. I mean, I served better than I had all tournament. If I had kept playing the way that I was going in Cincinnati, I probably would have been out in the first round. I think it’s progress, but obviously I wanted to do better here."

Coco's positive outlook 

Despite her frustration, the American said she can build on the foundation she is developing. She said, "Right now, it feels disappointing. There are a lot of positives to take from this tournament. I promise you I don’t feel that way right now, but when I look back in a couple of days, I’ll be able to take those positives. For me, I want to get it all working together. I think the serve, obviously, was working great today. If I can serve well and also return well, then it’s going to be pretty good for me.".

Gauff praises Naomi's game

Asked about her opponent, Gauff praised the four-time Grand Slam champion’s composure. "I felt like she seemed relaxed out there. I mean, obviously she’s a tough opponent regardless of her form. I think just on paper, people were putting me as the favourite just because she hasn’t been playing as much. But yeah, I think she played great tennis and forced me to play how I did today. Regardless of her form, she’s always going to be a tough player, especially on a hard court. I think she played really well today and deserved to win.".