'Not looking forward to it': Coco Gauff honestly reacts to upcoming 1 Point Slam

Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 17:30

byErik Virostko

Coco Gauff will be one of the players taking part in the 1 Point Slam at the Australian Open, which will be held for the second time.

The 1 Point Slam is an event that was first held last year, and it will return to Melbourne Park also in 2026. The rules of the event are simple, there is only one point played in each match, which determines the winner.

The most exciting part of the tournament is the fact that amateur tennis players get a chance to take part as well. While last year, the field of professionals included mostly lower-ranked Australian players, this year, the best players in the world will compete in the 1 Point Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff are just some of the players signed up for the tournament. The winner of the 1 Point Slam will receive A$1 million, while the last amateur standing will be rewarded with a brand-new Kia EV3 GT-Line in Matcha Green.

As one of the players signed up for the tournament, Gauff was asked about it during her participation at the United Cup. The American player let it slip that it wasn't necessarily her who signed up for the event, but instead, the tournament organizers asked her to play.

"I didn't, like (laughing) -- yeah, they wanted me to. I'm not looking forward to it, but..."

It's understandable that Tennis Australia wants to have the best players in the world competing. In 2025, the event didn't take center stage, with only a few fans attending. This year, however, it will be held at the Rod Laver Arena on January 14th, and the organizers will want to have it sold out.

Gauff, despite not being excited about the tournament, thinks it's a great event for tennis. It gives amateurs a chance to compete against the best tennis players in the world, which can give them a great perspective at what it takes to be successful on the ATP or WTA Tour.

"Yeah, I mean, I think especially it gets you in the mindset, like being ready. Also, I think it's great for the sport to have these different things going on. Yeah, the 1 Point, we'll see how I do. I'm not very confident in myself. But yeah, I think it's great. Just promotes the more fun side of tennis. Obviously it's going to get pretty serious later on, but I think it's great for fanfare."

"It gives the fans a little different perspective on the sport. Yeah, I try to make sure it's just the right amount of things. I like to just do one thing and then after that I try to focus on the two weeks."