"Serena Williams & Jennifer Capriati had great careers, I'm in the right direction"- Coco Gauff optimistic about future after final Grand Slam as teen

Coco Gauff has stated that she is happy with how her career has panned out so far and remains positive about the future.

On Thursday, January 25, Gauff faced Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open. Despite giving it her best, she went down 7-6 (2), 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes.

Incidentally, this year's Melbourne Major is the final Grand Slam of Gaufff's teenage years, given she turns 20 in March. After making her WTA tour debut in March 2019 at the Miami Open, she has seven singles titles (including the 2023 US Open) and eight doubles titles to her name.

When asked to reflect on her time on the women's tour as a teenager, Coco Gauff said she was proud of everything she has achieved and is looking forward to the coming years.

"I tend to be hard on myself. But I think looking back of, overall this stage of my life, it was obviously a successful time," she said at a press conference.

"I am really proud of myself. I did want to win a slam as a teenager, and I did that. Obviously today I was hoping to get No. 2, or at least give myself a chance to get No. 2. It didn't happen, but I feel like I'm there, yeah. So hopefully I can go only upwards from here," she added.

In Melbourne this month, the 19-year-old's quarterfinal defeat of Marta Kostyuk was the 49th match she won at a Major. Among American teenage women, she is now level with Serena Williams and just one behind Jennifer Capriati.

Coco Gauff admitted that finding out that stat has helped her have a more positive outlook on things.

"I saw a stat that I think I'm up there with Serena and Capriati with the wins at slams. I just feel like I look at the glass half empty, so I'm negative. Then I looked at that stat and I'm like they had great careers. So I'm like I'm in the right direction. I just have to remind myself of the journey and not so much of the moment," she expressed.

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Coco Gauff: "If I ever get to a moment where I stop having fun, I would take a break"

Coco Gauff made a semifinal exit at the 2024 Australian Open.

Coco Gauff's junior years always indicated that she was destined to make it big on the WTA tour.

She became the top-ranked 1 junior after winning the junior 2018 French Open singles title and the junior doubles title at the 2018 US Open. After making her WTA debut in 2018, she rose to fame by beating former World No. 1 Venus Williams in the opening round at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

Gauff, then aged 15 years and seven months, won her first WTA title at the 2019 Linz Open. She competed in her maiden doubles final at a Slam at the 2021 US Open and her first singles final at the 2023 French Open.

Last year, she clinched her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati and later took home the singles title at the US Open.

The American said that she has fun competing on the women's tour, even during defeats, and vowed to take a break from the sport if that feeling ever changes.

"I am having fun. I feel like if I ever get to a moment where I stop having fun, I would take a break," Coco Gauff said.

"There was, like, a couple points in the match where I, like, I'm always having fun generally but you're so competitive, but there was a couple of shots where I was just, like, this is fun, this atmosphere is fun, and I want to enjoy it as long as possible," she added.