"Codey said, if anything happens, I just want to say I love you" - Coco Gauff on bond with brothers & their recent adventure

Coco Gauff made a winning return to the Grand Slam stage, taking a 6-3, 6-0 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in her Australian Open first-round match on Monday (January 15).

The youngster, who lifted her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the US Open last year, has on numerous occasions spoken about the support that she gets from her family, calling it one of her biggest strengths.

During her media interaction after her first-round win, she was again asked about her relationship with her family, brothers in particular. In response, Gauff joked that her 16-year-old brother still ignores her text messages at times in an apparent reference to him failing to pick up her call after the famous US Open win.

The American, however, went on to recall a recent trip to the Sky Tower, saying it was the first in a while when Codey told the family that he loved them.

"Oh, yeah, Codey, he definitely does. Lately he's done better at responding because I told him, 'You never respond'," Coco Gauff said. "Yeah, when he says, like, 'I love you', that's, like, a big thing in our house because he doesn't say it literally.

"The only time, this year the only time I remember him saying it was right before we jumped off the Sky Tower. He said, 'If anything happens, I just want to say I love you guys.' That was the first time he told me, told him that I loved him this year," she added.

Gauff said her youngest sibling, Cameron, was more empathetic and said ‘I love you’ all the time. She joked that while Codey also loves the family, he was at an age where he wished to maintain a certain “image”.

"Cameron, he's the youngest one. He says it all the time," Coco Gauff said. "He's more the empathetic, emotional one, and Codey is more of the chill. We know he loves us. We know he has an image he likes to have.

"I get it's important that he has to keep his cool image up, you know, on Instagram and in front of his friends. I get it. I was there at that age," she added.

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"I'm lucky that I can have my parents come with me" - Coco Gauff after Australian Open win

Coco Gauff at the 2024 Australian Open

Elaborating on her relationship with her family, Coco Gauff said it is important for her to have them around since she travels a lot throughout the year.

The youngster went on to express gratitude on being able to have her parents travel with her, saying it reminds her that her value is more than her on-court results.

"Those relationships are, like, incredibly important to me, especially, you know, traveling a lot, being by yourself a lot," Coco Gauff said. "I'm lucky enough that I can have my parents come with me, and my family sometimes.

"It just reminds me that I'm a person, reminds me that my value is more than how I do on the court," she added.

Having come through her first-round Australian Open encounter, Gauff finds herself up against countrywoman Catherine Dolehide. The duo will play on Wednesday (January 17).