Coco Gauff admits that it ‘always sucks’ to lose at the US Open, adding that her sights are already on the 2027 season after her semi-final loss to Elena Rybakina.
The American entered the event in red-hot form, less than two weeks after winning the title at the Cincinnati Open.
However, it wasn’t to be for the former champion as she fell to Rybakina in a tight 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 semi-final clash.
The Kazakh has already secured her place as the world No 1 for the first time when the rankings are published after the US Open, leapfrogging Aryna Sabalenka, who she will play in the final.
If successful on Sunday, Rybakina would lift her second Grand Slam trophy of the season after also winning the Australian Open in January.
Gauff now trails her head-to-head with the Kazakh 2-1, having also lost to her at this year’s Canadian Open.
Despite the loss, the American believes that the immense crowd support and overall competitiveness of the match will soften the blow.
“It means a lot [to have the crowd support],” she stated during her post-match press conference.
“It always sucks at the end to feel what I know is not a complete disappointment, but not to be able to get the win for them.
“They definitely carry me through a lot of these matches here. I can feel the love all the way down to the last point; it’s a rare experience as an individual to be able to experience that.
“I think most athletes experience that in team sports and team events, but tennis is so unique that I have probably had 99.9% of the crowd behind me and solely for me.
“It’s an experience and an environment I will always cherish. Hopefully I have a lot more years out here, but I know in hindsight it’s not that long.”
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Unlike her opponent, Rybakina rarely wears her emotions on her sleeve, even after winning a Grand Slam event or, indeed, securing her spot as the world No 1.
Gauff added that this attribute displays ‘the strength’ of the Kazakh and may aid her in tight moments.
“I think Elena is [someone] who shows no reaction ever,” the American analysed.
“It may appear that way [that she is totally calm], but we are all feeling nerves and stuff. How much that gets to her we don’t know, and that is the strength of her.
“We can never tell how much she is feeling, but she is human, so she is feeling nerves and all the things we all feel.
“But she has dealt with this on more than one occasion, so she has the experience.”
Gauff’s next event is scheduled to be the China Open, which begins on September 28, where she will defend semi-final points.
However, the world No 4 admits that she is already ‘looking towards next year’ now that the Grand Slam calendar is over.
“I am just looking towards next year,” Gauff revealed.
“I think every US Open, and no disrespect to other tournaments, but [after] every US Open is kind of where my mind is just thinking to focus on the improvement for next year.
“I will play in China and hopefully qualify for WTA Finals, but every time I play those events it has been for the purpose of trying to try things for next season or trying to figure out what I need to work on [in] the off-season.
“Sometimes the mindset works, as I’m usually successful at those events, so I think this will just be about going back and seeing what I can improve on and what I need to try and put into my game during the Asian swing.”
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