"Always class" - Victoria Azarenka, Andrea Petkovic lead praise for Coco Gauff after American breaks down in tears post Australian Open exit

Victoria Azarenka praised Coco Gauff for her maturity both on and off the court. After the American tennis superstar expressed pure emotion and got teary eyed post her fourth-round loss at the 2023 Australian Open, Azarenka highlighted Gauff's 'classy' conduct despite all the pressure and expectations.

Andrea Petkovic and Jamie Hampton also showered praise on the teenager, with the latter highlighting how level-headed Gauff is for her age.

Gauff lost 5-7, 3-6 to Jelena Ostapenko and bowed out of an Australian Open at which she was expected to make a much deeper run. She entered Sunday's last-16 match on the back of eight consecutive straight-set wins and later attested to her frustration of not capitalizing on her great form. The 18-year-old broke down in tears during her post-match press conference.

Reacting to the same, Azarenka hailed the "always class" Coco Gauff.

"Coco is handling herself so mature on and off the court! A lot of pressure and expectations and she is always class," Azarenka wrote on Twitter.

Petkovic empathized with the American youngster.

"We need to protect her at all costs!" Andrea Petkovic wrote.

Former American player Jamie Hampton also reacted to Gauff's emotional post-match reflection, pointing out that the World No. 7 is very level-headed and has much more perspective than all other players on tour. Hampton also opined that Gauff will only mature further with age.

"Everyone has always talked about Coco's talent and athleticism. But imo, what's truly different about her is how level-headed she is for her age," Jamie Hampton expressed. "It's perspective that other players could only dream of and will become even more apparent as she matures."

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Coco Gauff says she "learned a lot" from Australian Open 2023 loss to Jelena Ostapenko

Coco Gauff leaves the court after her 2023 Australian Open fourth-round match.

Despite facing the disappointment of a loss, Coco Gauff looked on the bright side of it, saying that she learned a lot from the match against Jelena Ostapenko, as she does from every loss. The American also highlighted that while many people believe victories do not teach players more about their games, she always learns from her wins as well.

While she was admittedly frustrated, Gauff vowed to go back to the drawing board and learn from her mistakes.

"After every loss I pretty much learn something, and every win too," Gauff said in a post-match press conference. "I know people say you don't learn anything from winning, but I think every match there's something to learn.

"And, yeah, I mean today I learned a lot. A little bit frustrated, but I think I'll rewatch and see where I went wrong and if I did go wrong."

Gauff's 2023 Australian Open campaign is still alive as she is also playing the women's doubles event alongside good friend and singles World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who is the only American player remaining in the women's singles draw.