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Following her opening-round win at the Canadian Open on Tuesday, Coco Gauff has said that Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandes' success at last year's US Open has spurred her to greater heights.
Raducanu made a fairy-tale run to the US Open title last year, becoming the first qualifier - male or female - to win a Major. Meanwhile, the 18-year-old Gauff made a run to the Roland Garros final this year, losing to top seed Iga Swiatek.
At a press conference after her first win in Toronto, Gauff said that the success of Raducanu and Fernandes has motivated her to play at a high level.
"I think it's exciting," said Gauff. "I think that for me, Leylah and Emma, I never played Emma in juniors, but I played with her. But we've been playing in juniors, so it's cool to see us doing so well so quickly. I think it's great. ... I think it just makes you want to do better. I think watching Emma and Leylah do well at US Open made me want to do even better. I think iron sharpens iron."
As for Swiatek, Gauff added that the Pole's success has motivated her to gun for the No. 1 spot.
"With Iga, I also played juniors with her," added Gauff. "But with Iga she's dominating right now. So I think definitely it pushes us to do even more and get to that No. 1 spot. Because she's doing it at such a young age as well."
Coco Gauff will take on Elena Rybakina on Wednesday for a place in the round of 16.
"I learned that you can't win every tournament" - Coco Gauff on Roland Garros final loss
Coco Gauff is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the game. The 18-year-old has made rapid strides this season, making her first Major final, losing to Swiatek.
Despite the disappointment of that loss, she knows that she can't win every match. adding that she needs to relax on the court and have the right mindset for success.
"I think I learned a lot, and I learned that losing is a part of the game. I learned that you can't win every tournament. I think from that final, it taught me that that was probably the most relaxed I've ever been in a tournament, where I wasn't focused on results.
It taught me not to focus on results because then I actually get the results. That mindset is something that I'm trying to stay in and continue to get better so that it's not just a final the next time."
Gauff will look to win her first title of the year this week at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
