Gauff Hoping For Fans' Support To Push Her To Title In Home-Like Cancun

WTA
Sunday, 29 October 2023 at 00:45
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Coco Gauff is in a familiar ecosystem at the 2023 WTA Finals, comparing the weather and setting in Cancun to her hometown residence in Delray Beach, Florida.

The 19-year-old arrives at this year's showpiece event as one of the favorites, which is in stark contrast to her debut appearance at the event last year. Gauff played six matches across singles and doubles competitions in Fort Worth, Texas, and finished with zero wins.

She exited the 2022 WTA Finals in the group stage, losing all of her matches. However, Gauff has made her mark this season, forging the longest winning streak on the women's tour in 2023 (with 16 wins).

She won titles in Washington and Cincinnati and put the icing on the cake by clinching her first Grand Slam title at the US Open, with a comeback win in the final.

With one more tournament to play for, Gauff will look to garnish that cake with cherries on top, by winning the prestigious WTA Finals. She has drawn parallels between the Mexican resort city to her home city of Delray, where Gauff lives with her parents and usually trains there when she is away from the tour.

"It (Cancun) reminds me of home. I live close to Miami so I'm really familiar, everything seems familiar here. The weather's pretty much similar and obviously the beach. I love the beach. I'm like a mermaid so to wake up every day and see the beach is a dream."

Gauff didn't particularly do well at last year's Finals which were held in her home country. But she's fond of Mexico, having been there during the 2022 Guadalajara Open (reached the quarterfinals). Gauff acknowledged the vibes and the passionate Mexican fans and is hoping for a similar experience in Cancun.

"Oh, they're really great. I didn't play Guadalajara this year but I played last year and the fans were really receiving and supportive of me so hopefully I can get the same support here in Cancun. I'm hoping to play some good tennis. I've been practicing well, hopefully, I can transfer that onto the match court."
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