Coco Gauff has been on a roll lately, marking a lot of firsts in the span of a few weeks. The American bagged her maiden WTA 500 title on home soil a couple of weeks ago. Now she is in her first-ever Masters 1000 finals at the Cincinnati Open. She also defeated world number one Iga Swiatek for the first time in her career and followed it up with a dig at Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils.
So far, Swiatek had defeated Coco in all their previous 7 encounters. However, Gauff turned the tables on the Pole in Cincinnati, defeating her in three sets.
Following her first victory over Iga, the teenager took a sassy jab at Djokovic and Monfils at the press conference. The Serb has a very lopsided 19-0 record over Monfils in their careers.
Coco Gauff jokes that she did not want her record with Iga Swiatek to be like Gael Monfils’ record with Novak Djokovic:
“It feels good. To be honest, I don’t know if I was thinking too far ahead. No offense to Gael, but I did not want that record, like the Novak and Gael record.… pic.twitter.com/HC2EIWvl91
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 20, 2023
Gauff hilariously stated that she is relieved that she has avoided that fate. “No offense to Gael, but I did not want that record, like the Novak and Gael record. I didn’t want that,” said Coco.
Swiatek had won 14 consecutive sets against Coco Gauff. However, Gauff came back hard to win the first set in their semifinal clash. Iga roared back, winning the next set and pushing for a decider. Coco held her nerve to win 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 over Iga.
Coco Gauff jokes about Novak Djokovic filling up the stands for her
The American teen is whip-smart and does not shy away from sharing what is on her mind. Her humor made an appearance again after her match against Linda Noskova.
During the press conference, Gauff joked that Djokovic was responsible for filling up the stands for her. The main reason for it was that the Serb was set to play against Monfils immediately after her that night.
Coco Gauff after beating Linda Noskova in Cincinnati:
“It’s even more crowded than my 1st match. Probably bc Novak & Gael are after me.. I feel like I’m the opening act. Come on, the guy has how many Grand Slams? I’m at zero right now. But maybe 1 day I’ll be the main act” 😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/ThZ9aL79v4
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 18, 2023
However, she acknowledged the crowd cheering for her. She added that since there was a big match immediately after hers, she felt like the opening act. “When I played the first night match and there’s like, you know, the big star after me, I feel like I am the opening act,” she said (Via Tennis World USA).
Coco also added that one day she hopes to be the main act. Gauff did not disappoint the crowd that night, winning against Linda. Coco Gauff will take on Karolina Muchova in the final of the Cincinnati Open next.