“He is one of the best players, he always intimidates me” - Coco Gauff on Rafael Nadal

Coco Gauff eased past Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2, 6-3 in her second-round match at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Thursday. It was a much smoother affair compared to her hard-fought three-set win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the opening round.

The 11th seed finished the match with 10 aces and did not face a break point. Gauff also hit the two biggest serves of the women's tournament this year, clocking 122 mph and 124 mph, en route to the win. Both the serves bettered the previous mark of 119 mph, hit by both Petra Kvitova and Elena Rybakina.

With the victory, she has improved her record at Wimbledon to eight wins from 10 matches. The 18-year-old now has 26 match wins in the 12 Grand Slams she’s contested. Fans, pundits and peers have taken notice of Gauff’s rise, with 22-time Major winner Rafael Nadal being one of them.

Speaking at his second round post-match press conference, Nadal praised Gauff for her maturity and predicted that she would win several Grand Slam titles in her career. Responding to his words of praise, the American thanked the Spaniard while admitting that she was intimidated by him.

“They mean a lot to me. Rafa is one of the greatest in this sport, if not the greatest. I see him in the players' area, he's very nice. He always intimidates me because he is Rafa. I remember that at Roland Garros he slapped me on the shoulder and said: 'Good job'. I answered him when he had already passed the corridor because I was shocked,” Coco Gauff said.

“He is one of the best players. We see each other every week, but he continues to impress. Like with Nole, Roger, Serena or Venus. Hearing that from him is great, I hope to live up to expectations,” she added.

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Hardcourt-favoring Coco Gauff finding feet on grass

Coco Gauff in action at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Coco Gauff takes on Amanda Anisimova in an all-American encounter in the third round. In her three appearances at Wimbledon, Gauff is yet to lose before the fourth round while Anisimova is through to the third round for the first time in her career.

Gauff, speaking at her post-match press conference, said that she did not feel nervous before her match for the first time in her career.

“Today was the first time I went out without feeling nervous. I feel like I play at home. I would say that most of the crowd goes with me on Centre Court. You feel 20% safer when facing someone who has never played on Centre Court. Tonight's match went great, I have no complaints,” Coco Gauff said.

The American also admitted that she loves playing on hardcourts and never expected to be comfortable on other surfaces.

“Growing up, I didn't imagine myself being comfortable on grass or clay. Hardcourt is still my favorite because you know what you are going to get. Playing on an unpredictable surface [like grass] I attribute to my speed and ability to react and adjust accordingly. I think that's what you need. My ultimate goal is to win the trophy on all surfaces,” Gauff said.