"Hopefully not anytime soon" - Coco Gauff calls Elina Svitolina inspirational, jokes about not wanting to emulate her by having a kid in near future

Coco Gauff has stated that Elina Svitolina's return to the WTA tour after becoming a mother is inspirational, before jokingly adding that she does not want to follow in those footsteps anytime soon.

The two players locked horns in the ASB Classic final on Sunday, January 7. Top seed Gauff successfully defended her WTA 250 title by beating Elina Svitolina 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3.

Speaking at the post-match trophy presentation, Gauff praised the Ukrainian for competing at a high level not long after returning to the tennis circuit following a maternity leave. With a laugh, the American stated that she would like to follow in her footsteps in the distant future.

“I’d like to congratulate Elina and your team. What you do, being a mom, coming back so fast at such a high level is inspiring. Hopefully, not anytime soon, I’ll be able to do it like you did,” she said.

Despite making her comeback just nine months ago, Svitolina has already broken into the top 25. The former World No. 3, who had a 17-3 win-loss record in title matches heading into the contest against Gauff, suffered a rare defeat at the final hurdle.

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“I don’t know if I was expecting this result” - Coco Gauff on defeating Elina Svitolina to defend her Auckland title

Coco Gauff successfully defended her Women's ASB Classic title.

Coco Gauff has now registered 10 straight wins on the hardcourts of Auckland. Her consecutive title wins in New Zealand have seen her drop just one set, in the final against Svitolina.

The 19-year-old has become only the fourth player to win back-to-back ASB Classic titles, after Patty Fendick (1988 and 1989), Eleni Daniilidou (2003 and 2004), and Julia Goerges (2018 and 2019).

Speaking after the win, Gauff stated that she was happy to have clinched the title while not playing at her best.

“I don’t know if I was expecting this result, but I’m really happy with how I managed to play today. I think today level-wise was definitely not my best match or best level this week, but sometimes when you win when you’re not playing your best, it makes you feel more satisfied,” she said.

The World No. 3 also said that she enjoyed being able to play in front of packed stands, compared to her campaign last year where much of the action happened indoors without fans due to the weather conditions.

“This is my first time ever having to defend a title, so I’m really happy I was able to do it today. Last year it rained almost every single match and we were playing indoors with just a few people watching so it’s really cool to play in front of a packed crowd almost every match,” she added.