Coco Gauff has an interesting pre-match ritual, which she recently revealed after winning a match at the 2024 Indian Wells Open.
For most of her career, Gauff has been coming onto the court with headphones on. The American used to appear very focused while entering the court, not even acknowledging the crowd, but more recently, she started waving to the crowd when she entered the court.
When it comes to the headphones, it's actually precisely because of the crowd. She doesn't like to hear the crowd before a match because she gets a bit nervous. Entering a packed stadium full of fans can be quite intimidating, so to calm herself down, Gauff blasts loud music as she walks out on the court.
She revealed her pre-match ritual after her most recent win at the Indian Wells Open, and she wasn't afraid to speak honestly about being nervous with the crowd. She did thank them for being there as well.
"Some people don’t know this, before I go on court I like to play loud music because I actually don’t like to hear you guys when I walk on because it makes me nervous. So I put on music."
"I just started the waving thing last year. Before, I would be scared to look up in the crowd. Honestly it’s a lot of people. I wasn’t expecting so many people at 11 am. Thank you guys for coming."
Gauff isn't a particularly nervous player in general, but she's human and feels it. Playing in front of home fans is something she always loved doing, and her results on home soil confirm that.
Yet, it also creates a lot of pressure, but she's handling it perfectly. She found a way of dealing with it, which is good. She's problem-solving, like she does on the court.