Coco Gauff is ‘honoured’ to be mentioned in the same sentence as Serena Williams after replicating an achievement of the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Gauff is the first American teenager to reach the US Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001.
That’s because the American thrashed a fatigued Jelena Ostapenko 6-0 6-2 in an hour demolition job.
It was a dominant performance from the American which sees her into the last four to play either Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova or Sorana Cirstea.
After the match Gauff was asked about the special achievement as she takes another step towards carrying Serena William’s legacy.
The sixth seed said that she was ‘honoured’ to be mentioned in the same sentence as Williams, “Oh, it means a lot to me. I mean, being in any sentence with her is great,” Gauff explained.
“I mean, she’s the greatest player of all time. You know, I’m nothing close to that yet. I’m just really honored to be in the same sentence as her. It’s something that I’m used to a lot. So, you know, I’m not going to sit here and be like, Oh, I’m shocked, but I feel like a lot of the stats have aligned with her, and people find new things to think about.
“I was the first teenager in the quarters and now semis, so I’m guessing if I win they’re going to be, like, finals. It’s just going to keep going. Like I said, I never take it for granted. She’s my idol. I think if you told me when I was younger that I would be in these same stat lines as her, I would freak out.
“I’m still trying not to think about it a lot, because I don’t want to get my head big or add pressure, but it is a cool moment to have that stat alongside her.”
Although Gauff appreciates the comparisons, the American is not getting ahead of herself as she looks to focus on the present.
Speaking of the present Gauff commented on her freshness heading into Thursday’s semi-finals and said emotionally she feels good, “Right now I feel emotionally fresh, which I think was the problem in the past in Grand Slams, I would emotionally be drained,” Gauff reflected in her press conference.
“Obviously I’m physically fresh and emotionally fresh, and I think that just came from experience. I think this is one of the harder runs I’ve had to the quarterfinal stage. Obviously never got to semis, but I don’t know, I just feel so fresh, to be honest. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been tricking myself or maybe when this is over I’m going to hit a wall. But I’m really proud of how I’m able to get through these matches.
“I learned that, you know, there’s still a lot of tennis left to play, and it’s a long match and a long tournament. You know, even though the semifinals, by theory, if you want to win there’s two matches left. You can’t think like that.
“I’m still in the mindset that I’m in the beginning of the tournament. I think that’s what I have learned, you know, in the past of being in quarterfinals, before I would think, you know, close to the end, but right now I have the mentality that I told myself I still have another two weeks to play. So that’s where my mind is at.”
Gauff’s mental approach has been criticised in the past but the same can’t be said now as she is now two wins from the title.
Next for Gauff will be either Karolina Muchova or Sorana Cirstea in the last four on Thursday evening. Gauff has a 1-0 head-to-head record against both players.
