World No. 3 Coco Gauff shared her thoughts and emotions following her victorious campaign at the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan. In a thrilling final, she triumphed over her compatriot Jessica Pegula with a score of 6/4, 7/5.
Addressing Pegula during the awards ceremony, Gauff warmly stated, `Congratulations, Jess, on an absolutely fantastic tournament. You’ve played so many three-set matches throughout this event; you truly are the queen of deciding sets! That’s why today, I was so determined not to let our match go the distance – I had a strong feeling that in a third set, the momentum and chances would definitely swing in your favor.`
Gauff continued to praise her opponent, adding, `When I first came onto the tour, you were one of the very first people who welcomed me with such warmth and kindness. That meant a lot to me back then, and it continues to mean so much now. I genuinely appreciate that. It`s truly wonderful to finally compete against you in a final – and I sincerely hope this is just the first of many such matches we’ll have. Congratulations again; it’s always a great honor to share the court with you.`
Turning her gratitude towards her support system, Gauff expressed, `I want to extend a huge thank you to my incredible team. This entire Asian swing has been exceptional. A special mention goes to Jean-Christophe [Forel, her coach] – initially, he wasn`t keen on me coming here because I wasn`t feeling my best after the US Open. But I’m happy I proved him wrong! I can be quite stubborn, so perhaps he said that intentionally, just to motivate me to focus and achieve a great result.`
She also acknowledged other key members, stating, `Thanks also to Richard and Maria. We even had a new addition to the team – Joe joined us here in Asia, and it’s been a lot of fun having him around; I truly value his presence. Another new face in the team is Gavin, who is currently in South Africa, but he also made a significant contribution to this successful outcome. Thank you, everyone. We definitely experience our share of ups and downs, but moments like these truly make enduring everything else worthwhile.`
Reflecting on the event itself, Gauff concluded, `This has genuinely been an incredible tournament. The improvements that have been made since last year were immensely important and contributed to making this event much smoother and more enjoyable for us. I am deeply grateful to all the staff, the wonderful volunteers, and everyone who works tirelessly to make this tournament possible. I’m already eagerly looking forward to returning next year. A huge, huge thank you to all the Chinese fans and everyone who supported me so passionately here and in Beijing. You absolutely exceeded all my expectations. I literally had to get an extra suitcase just for all the thoughtful gifts I received! I truly believe that it`s this kind of incredibly positive energy that helps me perform so well here,` Gauff shared during the emotional awards ceremony.
Jasper Carew