Key Takeaways
- Coco Gauff reflected on her emotional response after losing to Naomi Osaka in the 2025 US Open Women's Singles Fourth Round match.
- She noted significant progress in her serve and overall performance during the tournament.
- Her New Balance collaboration earlier this year highlights her commitment to community and her Delray Beach roots.
Coco Gauff’s run at the 2025 US Open came to an emotional end, and the 21-year-old tennis star isn’t hiding how much it stung.
On Monday (Sept. 1), Gauff fell to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, losing 3-6, 2-6. In her post-match press conference, the two-time Grand Slam champion admitted the defeat left her struggling to keep her emotions in check.
“After the match, I was really disappointed. [I] kind of broke down to my team,” she told reporters during her post-match press conference. “Then, hearing their perspectives and everything, it definitely is a lot of positive things.”
Gauff explained that she’s trying to lean into optimism and use the loss as motivation. “I think if I kept the way I was going in Cincinnati to here, I would have been out the first round,” the Florida native said. “So, I think that where my serve started from the start of the tournament to today was a big improvement. I feel like now I just have to get everything to work together.”
She also acknowledged she knew going in that a match against Osaka, who holds four Grand Slam titles, would be a challenge. “Did I feel like I had a lot of confidence after my last match? Yeah, definitely,” Gauff continued. “I think that was a big confidence booster. So today feels more disappointing, I think, than maybe it would have felt losing in the first or second round.”
Despite the loss, Gauff said she sees clear progress in her game and is taking lessons forward.
Honoring her roots with New Balance
Off the court, Gauff continues to find ways to connect her career with her community. Earlier this year, she teamed up with New Balance for the Coco Delray, a sneaker inspired by her hometown and narrated by her grandmother, Yvonne Lee Odom.
“I’m incredibly proud to launch the new Coco Delray because it’s more than just a tennis shoe,” Gauff said. “It represents an opportunity to broaden access to those interested in playing the game and will have a positive cultural impact for generations to come.”