Coco Gauff is looking to rebuild her season after a recent coaching change and an early exit in Madrid.
The American recovered from a third round defeat to Paula Badosa in Madrid by defeating Yulia Putintseva 6-0 6-1 in Rome.
It was an impressive performance by Gauff who is looking to build momentum ahead of Roland Garros, where she defends final points.
Speaking after the match Gauff told the press that she was pleased with how she dealt with a player like Putintseva who is good on clay, “I usually have long matches with her,” the American was quoted by the WTA website as saying.
“I was fully prepared for that. But I told myself to play on my terms, not her terms. She’s obviously a tricky player, has some big wins. Made the quarters of the French a couple times. I know clay is her surface. It’s also kind of mine, too, so it was a good match today.”
It has been a difficult season for Gauff who has struggled since winning the Auckland title in January.
That difficulty has resulted in the departure of her coach Diego Moyano as the American searches for a new coach.
After a difficult defeat in Madrid last week, Gauff explained the need to rebuild her confidence and season as well as talking about her new potential coach, “It was a tough loss for me,” the American said in her press conference.
“I think you could see that it just wasn’t my day, my game, not how I like to appear on court. I’ve been working really hard since then. I’m feeling good. I’m practicing a lot better.
“I do think just going back to committing to the process, I feel like this year we can really change the way I play. I feel like it’s a crucial year for me. So I think I want to relearn and retrain myself to be aggressive.
“With the coaching change, it’s tough. I think I was dealing with making that adjustment. Especially during this part of the season, which is important to me, I felt a little bit of pressure. Now I feel like having that match, I feel like I’m just ready to build myself back up into what I know I can be.
“I think that’s the first part. I want to make sure it’s someone I get along with, my team gets along with. That can be fun. Some coaches are a brick wall and are worse for some players. I can’t have that. I’m very serious, too, on the court. It’s not like I’m goofing around all the time. It’s more so the off-court way of life. I want to make sure I get along with him.
“Obviously the tennis, they have to have a plan. It’s something I’m still learning about what I need. I’m obviously getting a lot of advice from people on what I should look for.
“For the off-court part, for sure someone that can get along with me. I get along with most people. I don’t want to have someone super stoic because I have to have it fun for me and the way I work.”
As Gauff’s search for a new coach continues, the American will look to continue her great start on the court when she takes on Marie Bouzkova in the third round on Saturday.
Bouzkova currently leads the head-to-head 1-0 heading into the clash in Rome.
