"I don't watch men's tennis much" - Coco Gauff tries to make sense of Federer-backed Laver Cup & other exhos in ATP calendar amid concerns in schedule

Coco Gauff made a valiant attempt at making sense of the ATP calendar, and only ended up taking a cheeky dig at men's tennis and the large number of exhibition tournaments that occupy their schedule. In the process, even the Roger Federer-backed Laver Cup was not spared, and neither was the Six Kings Slam taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Gauff is currently in action at the China Open, where she has managed to reach the quarterfinals. After beating Belinda Bencic, she will next take on Eva Lys on Thursday for a spot in the final 4.

At her press conference, Gauff was questioned about her thoughts on shortening the tennis calendar, a topic that has dominated the event all week. The American was asked in particular about exhibitions that players choose to play on their off days, only to then turn around and complain about not getting enough rest.

Gauff prudently argued that exhibitions did not require much energy at all, and that it was more similar to practicing with other players, only with fans watching. At least that was the case on the women's side, Gauff insisted.

On the men's side, however, she admitted exhibition tournaments were longer and required more focus, such as the team-format Laver Cup, or the Six Kings Slam which would involve players playing two matches over a span of several days.

"People will play exhibitions. But exhibitions, honestly, is no different than me practicing with another player. It's not that much energy spent. No one really ever plays full out on the women's side because we don't have things like 6 Kings Slams and Laver Cup where they're actually playing full out. We don't have that," Coco Gauff said.

Coco Gauff also believed that if the tennis tours agreed to end the season earlier, players would also make compromises on exhibitions. At this point, she brought up the Laver Cup, which took place in September, and wondered if players got points for playing in it.

"I definitely think that could be something that players would agree to if it meant having a season ending around this time instead of November. Is it an exhibition? Do they get points for it?" Gauff asked.

While the Laver Cup does not award ranking points, the win/loss record gets added to their official records. It is something of a confusion to many, a fact that did not escape Gauff's notice either.

The World No. 3 quickly conceded that this would make the Laver Cup not really an exhibition, and added that it would be nice to play in such an event on the women's side. As for her misunderstanding regarding the official nature of the tournament, Gauff joked that it was not her fault as she does not pay much attention to men's tennis either way.

"Oh, [it goes on the official records]. I didn't know that. Well, I guess it's not an exhibition. I don't know. If I can play Laver Cup, I would. It seems like a fun event. Yeah, I didn't know. I'm sorry. I thought it was an XO. I don't really watch men's tennis that much, so it's not my fault," she added.

This year, the Laver Cup was won by the Andre Agass-led Team World, led by Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.

Coco Gauff on exhibition tournaments in the tennis calendar if the season were to be shortened

2025 China Open - Day 9 - Source: Getty

In the press conference, Coco Gauff made her thoughts known on where exhibition tournaments could be placed in the tennis calendar if it were to be shortened.

The American was of the opinion that if there was an official end to the season, then there should be a window where no exhibitions would take place, allowing players to get the requisite rest.

"I'm generally not someone who does too many XOs anymore. Hmmm... It would depend on what that shortened season looked like. I definitely think if it were a shortened season, there was a definite end to the season, maybe that is something that could be added, or at least no exhibitions within that time period of the season," Coco Gauff said.

On the women's side, there is an exhibition taking place in December this year in Miami, featuring Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova.