Coco Gauff wasn't happy with her tennis in her first match at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, but she was proud of the fight she had put forward.
Gauff faced more than a handful of problems in her first match of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells. She battled Clara Burel, a player who made tremendous progress this year and certainly gave her many problems.
The French player took the opening set 6-2 behind the really aggressive play that exploited Gauff's rather inconsistent forehand. The American would strike back in the second set, winning it, but saw herself fall behind 2-5 in the final set.
None of that mattered as she rallied to make it 5-5 and then forced a tiebreak, which she won. She wasn't particularly happy with her play because it wasn't as good as it could have been, but she was proud of the fight she put forward.
"Well, honestly in the past, yeah. I mean, the last tournaments I have done well usually I have a tough opening first round, especially with the biggest one was US Open. And, yeah, I think for me it's just getting through that match definitely meant a lot. Could have easily thrown in the towel. But honestly, I was just telling myself, like, win or lose, I don't want to have any regrets on the court."
The comeback was rather impressive, but she almost didn't get it. As the matchups get tougher, it's probably better if she indeed finds a better level of tennis.
"I want to be like I gave myself the best opportunity to win, and I did that. Am I proud of how I played? Not really, to be honest. But the fight, I am proud of. I am eager to improve. I think it wasn't my best tennis at all. I think I just have a lot of improvement that I can do to get better."
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