'Williams sisters inspired me' - Coco Gauff 'disappointed' after US Open loss to Caroline Garcia, talks Serena and Venus
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Published 07/09/2022 at 09:03 GMT
Coco Gauff has reflected upon the impact of the Williams sisters and the inspiration they have been after she exited the US Open with a defeat to Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals. The American took the time to mention Serena and Venus in her post-match press conference, while saying she was "super proud" of her performances at Flushing Meadows, despite not going all the way.
Highlights: Khachanov defeats Kyrgios, Garcia battles past Gauff into semi-finals
Coco Gauff has admitted she is "disappointed" after her US Open loss to Caroline Garcia, but she reflected on being inspired by Serena and Venus Williams.
The 12th seed was defeated in straight sets, 6-3 6-4, by the French player, who now has an impressive 13 successive victories behind her ahead of the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows.
While Gauff was "super proud" of her efforts in New York, she made the point that she has to go away, enjoy some rest and return hungry to take her performances at Grand Slams to the next level.
"For me today, her level was great," Gauff said in her post-match press conference. "I knew it was going to be great coming in. I feel I didn't play at the level I needed to [in order] to come out with the win today.
"Overall, I'm super proud of myself at this tournament, but I'm hungry for more. So maybe next year.
"I think after this I'll have some time to reflect. I don't have any tournaments for a while, so I'll try to reflect on the season as a whole. For me, it's hard to balance being proud and being disappointed. So I think I'm learning more to not be so disappointed in myself.
"Really I'm just proud of how I was able to come through this week. After everything that happened in Cincinnati, I didn't tell anyone, but I didn't think it was going to be that good of a tournament for me.
"I think it was good, I was able to bounce back. I really proved to myself mentally that I can come out of these tough situations and do it. First quarter-final, too, at the US Open, so there's a lot to be proud of.
"But like I said, I'm definitely disappointed. I think it makes me want to work even harder. I feel like I know what I have to do."
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Highlights: Ruud defeats Berrettini, Jabeur storms into semi-finals
Gauff offered advice for the next generation, citing the Williams sisters as her inspiration.
"For me, for any kid, but especially ones that look like me, I think for the most part, just continue to do what you want to do, no matter what people say," she said.
"I think for me, the Williams sisters definitely inspired me to play tennis because I saw someone like me playing in a sport with not a lot of people looking like me. I hope I can be that for other kids.
"Yeah, that's all I can say really. Just continue to be our authentic selves. Don't try to feed into any stereotypes, just be you."
Garcia added: "It was a very intense match. Every point, every game was really tough. The atmosphere was really American with a lot of energy out there.
"I'm just very happy with the performance today, to manage the emotion in my game."
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