If you’ve watched enough tennis, you’ve probably noticed that Coco Gauff’s box usually includes her coaches and her mother, Candi Gauff. However, one important person is almost always missing: his father and former coach, Corey Gauff. Now, after fighting back to beat Hailey Baptiste in the third round of the Australian Open, Coco Gauff explained why during his post-match press conference.
“You mentioned your dad doesn’t look in your dressing room. Does he ever tell you where he ends up? Like I’ve seen him at random places at tournaments,” an interviewer asked. That’s when Gauff started laughing and said, “No, it’s always other people who tell me. Yeah, the reason is he can’t control his reaction.”
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She then explained, “So I was watching and then he was like this (head in hand) or like this (eyes down). And it’s not necessarily from me. It’s like him. So I just told him we have to cut it.”
She also shared a story from last yearsaying: “So I heard that when I won the US Open, he was in the gym and the TV was behind it. So the TV presenter had to tell him that I actually won and he had to run to go greet me in the crowd.”
“I don’t know where he was at Roland Garros and you probably know more than me, but yeah, I heard he was all over the venue, usually like locked on the screen and just pacing back and forth,” Coco Gauff added with a smile.
For those who may not know, the 54-year-old watched the world number 3’s matches from her dressing room. But in 2023, he decides to move elsewhere in the stadium because he knows it is a little too lively during matches.
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After Gauff’s victory at the French Open, Corey spoke with Tennis Channel and was asked if he would ever return to his dressing room. He said he hoped it would happen one day.
“I think I have some more maturing to do to be able to get there. I have to mature more as a parent to get back there,” he explained.
“God isn’t done with me yet and I’m still working on myself. I hope to one day return to the box where I can just watch and cheer and enjoy the match in peace. But it’s such a different feeling with tennis. It’s just in my nature to be very animated when I’m coaching, and that doesn’t work in tennis and it doesn’t work with her.”
This is a developing story…
The position Coco Gauff explains her father’s absence from her Player Box: “He can’t control” appeared first on EssentiallySport.
