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World No. 6 Coco Gauff has shed some light on why her father has not been accompanying her on the tour recently.
Gauff, 18, is currently on a good run, having reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship. In the quarterfinals, she beat compatriot Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5 to seal her spot in the last four of the tournament.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the teenager reflected on how her dad cannot be with her as much as he has to take care of her two younger brothers. She also said that he isn't much of a tennis fan and likes other sports.
"Yeah, so last week my dad didn't come to Doha with me. It was a decision, like, that I've...I think he was always scared to kind of say it, but it's something I push more on him. I have two younger brothers at home. I would say my dad definitely, I mean, naturally he understands football and baseball and basketball, those sports, more than tennis," she said.
Gauff stated that she has her coach Diego Moyano to help her on the tour, and that her father accompanying her "was taking a toll on the whole family."
"I definitely say they need him now at this time in their life. Now that I'm getting older, I have Diego helping me, I kind of say you don't have to be here every week. It was taking a toll on the whole family in general. I'm thankful my brothers, I never felt that pressure, they know why my dad can't be there," Gauff added.
Gauff said that one of her brothers is entering high school and will need a "dad figure" in his life.
"He decided to come this week. My mom was actually going to go back. She decided she wanted to see Dubai, so she stayed. There will definitely be more tradeoffs happening this year. Also since my brother is entering high school, he needs, like, a dad figure. Every son needs their dad," Coco Gauff added.
Coco Gauff to take on Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships
Coco Gauff will undergo a stern test when she locks horns with World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. They last faced each other in the 2022 WTA Finals, where Swiatek won in straight sets.
Swiatek also beat the American in the 2022 French Open final and leads 5-0 in their head-to-head record.
However, Coco Gauff has been in great form recently and could reach her second final of the 2023 season. The American won the ASB Classic in January to kickstart her season. She also won the doubles title at the Qatar Open with compatriot Jessica Pegula.
