"Never say, die!" - Coco Gauff's mother Candi reacts to American ending her title drought at China Open after on-court struggles

Coco Gauff's mother, Candi, reacted to the 20-year-old's victory at the 2024 China Open, which ended her title drought since January. She secured the eighth WTA singles title of her career and her first in Asia.

Gauff last won a title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she defeated Elina Svitolina in the final, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. Since then, she has reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Italian Open, French Open, and the Grass Court Championships in Berlin, as well as other quarterfinals. She also missed out on a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Gauff defeated Czech star Karolína Muchová 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the China Open on Sunday. On her way to the final, she outclassed Clara Burel, Katie Boulter, Naomi Osaka, Yulia Starodubtseva, and Paula Badosa. Following the match, she took to Instagram to celebrate her win, saying:

“I‘m happy with the fight I showed during the past two weeks here in Beijing and very grateful to walk away with the @chinaopen title❤️. Thank you for all of the love and support!”

In the comment section, along with other WTA and ATP stars, Coco Gauff's mother expressed joy at her victory and said:

“Amazing fight!!!! Never say die!!!”

Screengrab of Candi Gauff's comment on Coco Gauff's Instagram post (@cocogauff)

Candi Gauff also shared her daughter's post, which featured her holding the title, on her Instagram story and said:

“@Cocogauff ...Always complete!!!"

Candi Gauff's Instagram story (@candigauff)

Following her victory over Muchová in the final of the 2024 China Open, Gauff told the press that she feels she is heading in the right direction.

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Coco Gauff on her China Open win - “I am in the right direction”

Coco Gauff - Source: Getty

Coco Gauff emphasized that she is now working hard and pushing herself to do things she was once uncomfortable with when facing pressure:

“Everybody can do everything in practice. This time, when the pressure is on the line, I was just trying to force myself to do things I was uncomfortable with. So yeah, I think the result is now reassurance that I am in the right direction."

Gauff mentioned that people often overlook that she is still in the development stage of her career, as expectations for her are always high. She noted that most players in the top 10 are over 25, except World No. 1 Iga Świątek. Despite this, she is confident about her progress and proud of her accomplishments.

"A lot of times people forget that I'm still in the developmental phase of my career and nothing is going to be great," Gauff said. "Most of the people doing well are 25 and older in the Top 10, maybe with the exception of Iga. We have a long way to go and I still have a lot that I need to work on and I'm proud of myself thus far.

I didn't have a complete game at 15 and I don't have one right now, but I've been on tour playing every week almost, trying to be better. I'm just super proud of that."

Gauff will continue her season at the Wuhan Open, with her first match scheduled for Tuesday, October 8. This will be her debut appearance at the tournament.