Coco Gauff feels strongly about staying gracious in defeat, explaining why she is never one to initiate a frosty handshake. The world No. 4 also shed light on the broader responsibility she feels toward young fans watching her matches, highlighting why she believes it is necessary to set a good example through her behavior with opponents.
What Coco Gauff Said About ‘Salty Handshakes’ at the US Open
Gauff heads into the US Open in exceptional form, having reached the semifinals of the Canadian Open before clinching the WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open. The American is aiming to win her third Grand Slam title with her campaign in New York, while also having the opportunity to attain the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career.
During her pre-tournament press conference, Gauff opened up about her gracious reactions after losses, emphasizing that she is not a fan of “salty” handshakes. She explained that it would take a very disrespectful act from an opponent for her to respond in such a manner.
“Yeah, I definitely think it is important for me. I’m not a fan of salty handshakes or things like that. And if there is a salty handshake, that’s not because I initiated it. Unless, which just never happened to me, but unless someone did something so disrespectful, then okay, maybe there will be one, but it’s never really happened to me on the court or off the court,” Gauff said.
Gauff also stressed the importance of demonstrating the right way to handle failure for the young fans watching.
“So, yeah, I think it’s important. And I think it’s just important to show young kids to be gracious in defeat because it’s going to happen. Everybody, even if you’re not in sports, you’re going to experience failure at some point in your life. And you just have to know how to take it with your chin held up high and give that person their props and try again next time,” she added.
The 22-year-old further spoke about changing her approach to competing at the US Open this year. Rather than allowing the pressure to overshadow her experience, she revealed that her focus is on enjoying her time on the court.
“US Open can be the one you feel the most pressure at, just being an American, wanting to succeed and do well,” she said. “In hindsight, yes, I probably will be playing here 10 plus years, but in the grand scheme of life, it’s not really that many opportunities you get to play here. So, I just try to enjoy each and every single time I’m out here.”
“Obviously, nothing’s promised. But, whereas before I was just so focused on winning that the experience wasn’t as enjoyable for me. Sometimes I would win a match here and feel more relief than pride. I want to switch that,” she added.
Coco Gauff’s sportsmanship will be on full display when she kicks off her US Open campaign, featuring in the women’s draw as the No. 4 seed. The American, who is on the hunt for her second title at the New York Major, is set to face Zeynep Sönmez in the first round of her home Slam.
