Coco Gauff reveals private Carlos Alcaraz conversation that made her feel ‘better’ about herself before WTA Finals
Coco Gauff has often voiced her admiration for Carlos Alcaraz, not only regarding his game but also his on-court personality. Ahead of her fifth straight WTA Finals appearance, Gauff revealed that a private conversation with the Spaniard made her feel better about a training drill she could not get right.
Before she traveled to Indian Wells, Gauff shared clips on her Instagram Stories of a shadow drill built around three poles topped with tennis balls, one on each side of the baseline and a taller one at the T. The routine called for a shadow forehand toward the first pole, a recovery to the middle for a backhand, then a jumping forehand at the high pole.
“The type of stuff my coach makes me do when I’m tryna be nonchalant @carlitosalcarazz look what you have done smh,” Coco Gauff posted on her Instagram Story.
A second clip showed the idea breaking down, with the American clipping a pole mid-sequence. She tagged Alcaraz and jokingly made clear who she held responsible.
At her pre-tournament press conference at the WTA Finals, Gauff shed light on how her fitness coach had adopted Alcaraz’s drill to help her work on her coordination and spacing. The World No. 4 revealed that she initially struggled with the drill as she kept clipping the pole, but a conversation with Alcaraz helped her feel better as the Spaniard admitted that he had faced similar problems.
“It was actually neither. It was my fitness coach Fabian. I was thinking it was just for, like, his wrist. It was actually working on spacing, coordination with the ball and stuff. Actually I didn’t like it at first because I kept hitting the pole. Then I started to like it. I actually like talked to Carlos a little bit. He said he was messing up in the beginning a lot first, too, so that made me feel better about myself,” Gauff said.
Gauff also disclosed that Alcaraz had reached out to her after she posted evidence of her struggles.
“Yeah, after I posted it. He messaged me. I had to get confirmation to make sure I wasn’t the only one messing up,” she said.
In addition to drawing inspiration from Carlos Alcaraz’s training, Coco Gauff has also been influenced by the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s demeanor on the court.
