"I took off 4-5 days; My boyfriend came in town" - Coco Gauff details how she coped with loss to Aryna Sabalenka in Australian Open SF

Coco Gauff recently shared how she coped with her Australian Open semifinal defeat to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka before resuming her 2024 campaign.

Gauff kicked off her 2024 run on a stellar note by successfully defending her title at the ASB Classic in New Zealand. The 19-year-old was in formidable form at the Australian Open as well. She did not drop a set at the tournament until her quarterfinal clash against Marta Kostyuk, where she got the job done in the deciding set.

The 2023 US Open champion’s impressive Grand Slam streak of 12 consecutive wins, however, came to a close in the semifinal. She faced a familiar foe in defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for a spot in the final.

While Gauff was able to conquer the Belarusian in the final of the 2023 US Open, Sabalenka, who eventually won the tournament without dropping a single set throughout, proved too hot to handle for the American in Melbourne. Sabalenka defeated Gauff 7-6(2), 6-4 to hand the American her first loss of the season.

Gauff recently opened up about how she dealt with the disappointment.

"I would say that the first night I was like still thinking about the things that went on in that match. You know, I felt like it was decided by a couple of points," Coco Gauff admitted in an interview for Sky Sports at the 2024 Qatar Open.

Gauff said that after flying back home, she took a few days off and spent some downtime with her boyfriend. While not much has been revealed about her partner, the World No. 3 had previously hinted that speaking with her boyfriend the night before her US Open final helped her be in the right mindset for the match.

"And then after that, I flew home and then what did I do? Oh, I took off like four days; four-five days. My boyfriend came in town so I hung out with him," Coco Gauff recalled during her interview in Doha.

"And then I was really happy to get back on the practice court. I felt good to just be at home. We’ve built a court in my house so practicing is always very easygoing than at tournaments. Ya, I feel really refreshed," she added.

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Coco Gauff suffers defeat in her opening match at Qatar Open 2024

Coco Gauff pictured at the 2024 Qatar Open

Coco Gauff’s return to competition did not pan out as she would have hoped. The American, who was the quarterfinalist in the 2023 edition of the Qatar Open, failed to make it past the second round of the WTA 1000 event this time around.

After receiving a first-round bye, the second seed faced a surprising 6-2, 6-4 defeat to unseeded Katerina Siniakova in her opening match on Tuesday, February 13. She, however, remained upbeat despite the upset.

Making the most of her time in Doha, Gauff went for a quad bike ride in the Sealine desert with her mother Candi on Valentine's Day. She shared pictures of their adventure on social media.

The American will now be hoping to return to winning ways at her next tournament. She is scheduled to participate in the WTA 100 Dubai Tennis Championships [February 18-24] next.