Coco Gauff admitted to feeling far from her best following a US Open round-of-16 exit but insisted that she would not let it "crush" her.
In a highly anticipated matchup against Naomi Osaka, the home star got completely outplayed as the Japanese tennis star sealed a routine 6-3 6-2 win. During the match, the American registered just eight winners and blasted 33 unforced errors.
For Gauff - who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open - this was her second consecutive round-of-16 exit at Flushing Meadows. Last year, the world No. 3 was beaten by Emma Navarro in the same stage of the final Grand Slam of the year.
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Gauff: I'm not going to let this crush me
"I'm trying to be positive in front of you guys. I promise you that I dont 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. Hopefully next year I can grow a lot as a player and as a person," the 21-year-old said.
Just before the start of the US Open, Gauff hired biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan to help her with her serve. In New York, the American significantly reduced her double-fault number - she had only five against Osaka. And when addressing her goals for the remainder of the year, she noted that the focus was on "improving as a player" rather than the results.
"I know the improvements that I need to make, and I feel like Im making the right decision by making them. Whatever happens for the rest of the year, I just want it to be improvement. I dont care about results," the world No. 3 noted.
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Next up for Gauff will be the Asian swing, where she enjoyed success last year by winning the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing and reaching the Wuhan semifinal.
