‘Internet coaches who coached no-one’ – Coco Gauff slams critics after error-filled Australian Open exit against opponent who nearly quit tennis
Coco Gauff crashed out of the Australian Open but left with a defiant message.
After an error-filled performance where her forehand imploded, the former US Open champion came out fighting in her post-match press conference.
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The 20-year-old entered the match as hot favorite but her hopes of a second Grand Slam singles title were halted by a stunning straight sets defeat to Spain's Paula Badosa, who advances to the last four.
Badosa produced a light-outs performance on Rod Laver Arena, to underline the huge strides made since almost quitting tennis in 2024 after warnings from doctors over a lingering back problem.
Gauff's exit at the hands of the 11th seed ends ends an 11-match winning streak after a United Cup triumph with the US to start this season victory in the WTA Finals to end last season.
Gauff's performance was not unfamiliar either.
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The American hit 41 unforced errors with 28 of them coming from the forehand side coupled with six double faults.
After changing her coach last year, Gauff has enjoyed some high and lows, but the precarious nature of her service game and her forehand wing has meant tennis on a knife edge.
With a bid for second-major title over, the third seed took aim at her internet critics.
“I guess you just have to realize that most of the internet coaches never coached anyone at my level or never played," she said.
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"So it's one of those things. You'll hear … people saying, Oh, she should have made this or he should have made that. Even when I'm watching, I do that."
Gauff is often the subject of critics regarding her technical flaws, so was quick to remind people that she had her own expectations coming into the tournament, as she retools her serve and forehand following work with a grip specialist.
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“I promise that I'm going to continue to try my best to improve and live up to my own expectations of myself and whatever everybody else has I'll … whatever. I can't control that,” the American said.
"I think at the US Open [last year] I felt from the start of the year to that point I felt like I had maybe gone a little bit stagnant. Even though I lost today, I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory.”
A poor performance was also not helped by the level Badosa played at, the 27-year-old was on the verge of retirement but has battled through injuries to reach the semifinals in Melbourne.
Gauff was quick to credit the Spaniard, who will now return to the WTA's Top 10 for the first time since 2022.
“Paula was playing great. Maybe some moments in the first set could have gone my way, could have been a different outcome in the first set,” Gauff said.
“I think it's just a lot more work to do, but I'm obviously disappointed, but I'm not completely crushed. I'm looking forward to a lot.”
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Badosa played like a woman filled with confidence and the achievement of a semi-final at a Grand Slam was on display after she fell to her knees following her win.
“It was at one point last year that I was pretty close [to retiring] because I wasn’t seeing myself at the level,” Badosa said
“When I thought about stopping it was when I was doing the [cortisone] injections because they told me I had to do a maximum of three a year, and I was already on my second one."
Badosa advances to the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, having lost her two previous quarterfinals.
Gauff's attention will now turn to the hard-court swing in the Middle East and the US before the French Open.
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