Coco Gauff Hits Out At 'Internet Coaches' Who Have 'Never Played' After AO Loss
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Coco Gauff often takes a combative approach to those who criticize her online, and she did that again after losing in the Australian Open quarterfinal.
Gauff's hopes of winning a second Grand Slam title and first Australian Open ended after being beaten 7-5, 6-4 by Paula Badosa, who reached her first major semifinal with that victory on the Rod Laver Arena.
Although Badosa is an excellent player, the defeat shocked many because of Gauff's impressive form in the closing stages of 2024 and in the opening week of 2025 at the United Cup, helping Team USA win the United Cup.
Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, issues with her forehand resurfaced against Badosa. She has improved off that wing since Matt Daly became her coach, but it suddenly became a problem again during the quarterfinal defeat.
Those difficulties led many fans to point out what Gauff was doing wrong on social media. As happens too often with the internet, many of the comments were unpleasant and mocked the WTA world No. 3.
Gauff did not hold back when discussing those people in her press conference after losing to Badosa. She pointed out that they had never played or coached to a high level and could not understand how challenging it can be out on the court.
"You just have to realize that most of the internet coaches never coached anyone at my level or never played. You'll hear not commentators, but people saying 'she should have made this, or he should have made that' ... obviously when you're out there, it's different."
"I'm the one out there, and I'm the one who makes the decision at the end of the day. If people want to say things, it is what it is - I take it with a grain of salt."
The 2023 US Open champion added balance to her comments by acknowledging that some people mean well. Gauff also realizes she cannot control what everyone else says about her.
"Some people do mean well, so I don't look at it as all bad. I'm proud of myself, and that's all I can say. 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 - I can't control that."
Gauff, a naturally optimistic person, will undoubtedly feel proud of what she has achieved in recent months despite her disappointing loss to Badosa. In October, she won the China Open, her first tournament with new coach Daly.
That was followed by an even more significant success at the WTA Finals. Gauff obtained the second-biggest title of her career after coming through a thrilling final against Qinwen Zheng in a deciding set tiebreak.
Helping Team USA win the United Cup to start 2025 was mentioned previously. Losing a Grand Slam quarterfinal was painful, but she is going in the right direction and can enjoy an excellent 2025 season. The Qatar Open next month will be her next tournament.
