Coco Gauff hasn't had to face the strongest players at the 2024 Australian Open, but she doesn't feel that's a problem.
There is a theory that an easy draw might be detrimental to a tennis player because if they don't face a tough opponent, then they kind of arrive underprepared for a big fight.
It's an interesting concept and likely has some merit but Gauff is currently one of the best players in the world. It's pretty absurd to consider her underprepared in any case because that rarely happens.
She's played many big matches and doesn't think having easy matches has any impact. She would like every match to be as easy as possible, and that's why she dismissed the idea of being "uncooked" after her most recent win at the tournament.
"Yeah, I don't feel uncooked at all. I would love for every match to go pretty easy. I know that's not the case. Yeah, US Open, every match I won was like pretty much a dogfight, it felt like."
"I think sometimes, I don't know if that's the ideal way to win a slam because you have to last, like, seven matches. I just think I had the physical ability and mental ability to do that."
For Gauff, Grand Slams are about the ultimate goal: winning. It doesn't really matter how she gets there, but there is a preferred way. It's to do it as easily as possible because it saves the body from mental and physical stress.
Ultimately, it's all about winning it, and winning in straight sets in all of the matches is better than struggling through them.
"Going into this, I've always had the goal of trying to do better at making the first couple of rounds. Not easier, but closing them in straight sets, and not putting too much stress on the mind and the body."
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