Coco Gauff is prioritizing playing tennis with joy as she books a spot in the U.S. Open third round.
The 19-year-old American defeated 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday and said she made it a priority to have a good time out there while competing. But who inspired this mindset? Alcaraz.
"Carlos in Cincinnati, he was losing a set every match pretty much and he wasn't playing his best, that was clear," Gauff said after her second round win."The way that he was still smiling against Hubi Hurkacz [Hubert Hurkacz] and he was down a set and a break or something like that, I don't know, he was down crazy or down match points. He was still smiling."Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox.
Gauff says since seeing the joy Alcaraz exudes on the tennis court, she is looking to"transfer that" into her own matches. "I have a lot of joy in me but I just seem to bottle it up when I play," she said."Now I'm really just having fun and laughing and smiling, and I think it's making tennis more enjoyable."
Gauff has been open about how much Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have inspired her game and presence on the tennis court over the years. She admires each of their footwork and physicality on the tennis court.
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