"Mom or dad would pack coolers for me so I could practice all day" - Coco Gauff on her fruitful changeover routine after reaching Australian Open SF

Coco Gauff said that her love for fruits during her matches was thanks to her parents, Corey and Candi.

On Tuesday, January 23, Gauff registered a hard-fought defeat of Marta Kostyuk to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open for the first time in her career. The World No. 4 won 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2 in three hours and eight minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.

She fought back from a 1-5 deficit in the opening set, saving two set points along the way. In the second set, she served for the match at 5-3 but a determined Kostyuk recaptured the break and took the set into another tie-break, which she won to push the match into a decider.

Gauff, who has been on a strong run Down Under this year, made a good start in the third set and gave the Ukrainian no chance of mounting a comeback. With the win, she has improved her win-loss record this year to 10-0.

After her win, the American said that eating fruits during the changeovers in matches was her secret weapon, a ritual that started in her formative days.

"Growing up, when I was training at academies, my mom or my dad, mostly my mom, would pack coolers for me so I could like be able to practice all day and it consisted of fruit snacks. Or applesauce and Gatorade," she said in her on-court interview.

"I mean, why change something that always works? I know a lot of people like to use the gels and the fancy stuff but I just like the natural fruit. So yeah, that's what I've been eating on the changeovers so far. I never really get tired even after a long match. So it's been working, fruits and pedialyte, that is the secret weapon," she added.

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Coco Gauff satisfied with win against Marta Kostyuk, to face Aryna Sabalenka or Barbora Krejcikova next

Coco Gauff celebrates her win against Marta Kostyuk at the 2024 Australian Open.

Coco Gauff came into her 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals against Marta Kostyuk thanks to a string of dominant performances and not dropping a set.

The American, who is now the youngest woman to reach the last eight in Melbourne since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2008, however, was given a run for her money by Kostyuk.

After sealing her spot in the semifinals, Gauff said that she was proud of how she managed to come through the contest with the Ukrainian.

"[I am feeling] happy. Really proud of the fight that I showed today. Marta is a tough opponent. Every time we play, it's a tough match. And yeah, I really fought and left it all on the court today," she said.

The 19-year-old also admitted that the conditions at Rod Laver Arena did not play any part in her slow start to the match.

"[It was] not really [hot], I'm from South Florida. So you are used to the heat. Gets even hotter at home, to be honest," she added.

Next up for Coco Gauff is a match against either World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka or ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova.