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Coco Gauff has opened up about her dynamic with tennis legend Chris Evert following her victory in the third round of the 2024 Miami Open.
Gauff advanced to the fourth round of the WTA event by beating Oceane Dodin 6-4, 6-0 after battling back from a break down in the opener. The 20-year-old delivered a clinical performance, recording 21 winners and seven unforced errors to the Frenchwoman's 11 winners and 26 unforced errors.
Following her win, Coco Gauff discussed the dynamic she shares with Chris Evert. Despite their age gap preventing her from studying tapes of the former World No. 1's matches, the 20-year-old shared that she has developed a close relationship with Evert off the court.
Describing the 18-time Grand Slam champion as a very kind person, the World No. 3 disclosed that she often receives messages from the tennis legend. Gauff highlighted her efforts to reach out to Evert, especially in light of the 69-year-old's ongoing battle with ovarian cancer.
"I'll be honest. I didn't grow up watching a lot of her tapes just because she was a couple generations past me. But I've gotten to know her off the court a little bit more," Coco Gauff said in her post-match press conference.
"She's a very, very kind person. She texts me sometimes. I always try to text her, especially with the recent news of her illness and everything," she added.
Gauff also acknowledged Evert's enduring impact on tennis at large, hailing her as "timeless."
"As far as like her impact on tennis, she's definitely, if you talk about tennis, she's one of the first names people think of. Just timeless. I always get videos of her on court style looks on my page. I feel like I know her more for that," she said.
Additionally, the 20-year-old revealed that Evert's messages primarily consist of advice and encouragement.
"A lot of her messages are just advice on some matches or just, Good job, How are you doing, regular messages," she said.
Coco Gauff to take on Caroline Garcia in Miami Open 4R
Following her win over Oceane Dodin, Coco Gauff will square off against Caroline Garcia in the fourth round of the Miami Open. Garcia claimed a 7-6(4), 7-5 win over Naomi Osaka to book her place against the American.
Looking ahead to facing Garcia or Osaka, Gauff acknowledged the Frenchwoman as a formidable opponent, highlighting her aggressive style of play.
"Played both of them. Also with Caroline, she's always a tough player to play. I think the most recent time we played was US Open like two years ago. Probably even sooner. I can't remember the most recent time. I think I lost to her the most recent time," Coco Gauff said in the same press conference.
"She's tough. We all know how she plays. Takes the ball super early, plays very aggressive," she added.
Coco Gauff and Caroline Garcia have split their four previous meetings. However, Garcia triumphed in their last two most encounters, beating the American 6-3, 6-4 in the 2022 US Open quarterfinals and 6-4, 6-3 victory in the group stage of the 2022 WTA Finals.
