Gauff, about her controversy with Bencic: "I don't like having conflicts on the court, but I didn't like her comment towards my team"
The Swiss player, who was defeated by the American in the Beijing quarterfinals, criticized the attitude of their bench during the match and told them to be quiet.
Coco Gauff had a more than intense match with Belinda Bencic. Not only because she had to go to three sets to come back and secure the victory by 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, but also due to the tense moment she experienced with the Swiss when she reprimanded her for her team talking just before she served.
Coco Gauff wanted to respond to the complaints, but then Belinda Bencic shot back: 'Shut up! I'm too old for these games!'. In the end, that was it, but it caused a slight dip for the world number three, leading her to lose the set. Almost the entire post-match press conference revolved around the incident with the Swiss, although she also took the opportunity to criticize the tour's schedule.
She managed to overcome the tense moment and turn the match around
"I was just able to concentrate and bounce back from that dip I had. She was playing very aggressively. I feel like a couple of points went my way; I could have won that first set maybe. But I'm happy with how I fought today."
Her take on what happened
"I knew she said something to my team, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. They told me she said, 'Shut up.' I didn't hear it, so I can only go off what they told me. I guess she was upset because they were cheering. For me, the stands are quiet, so you can hear both teams. I played earlier rounds, and in my two matches, I could hear the other team pretty clearly because it's quiet. It doesn't bother me. I was just telling her to be respectful."
"I've been nice to her team off the court. We've been nice to each other. I just didn't like that comment towards my team. Yeah, that was it. I mean, we moved on from that. I haven't spoken to her since then. She has the right to feel how she felt, and I have the right to respond how I did."
The discussion affected her performance
"Immediately after that, the next game I felt frustrated and had three double faults. But after that, I thought, 'okay, I don't want to lose from now on.' I was able to focus. I think in a way, it was almost good for me. I think sometimes I play a little bit better when I'm upset, not at myself but at another thing. I don't know, I think it helped me. But I'm not a confrontational person. I don't like having altercations on court, but I didn't like that comment towards my team. Definitely, I don't like that. I mean, it happens. It's sports, but I'm glad today turned out well for me."
Not one to get into conflicts with other players often
"I think I've had only two issues on tour. One was at the US Open and today, this one. I'm not usually one to start, but I respond quite quickly. I don't like people disrespecting others. I felt telling my team to shut up wasn't nice. Especially because they were cheering after I won a point."
She took it as motivation
"I thought, 'okay, now I have to win the match, especially after having that issue.' I think for me, it was more pettiness, just trying to win the match. The worst thing is if you have the confrontation and then you lose. It's like losing twice. Obviously, I have a lot of respect for Belinda. She's a great player, she's come back and is playing great tennis being a mother. Yes, obviously I wish that hadn't happened today, but it is what it is."
Concerned about a packed tournament calendar
"I guess from a business perspective, it might make sense. But from a player's health perspective, I don't quite agree. I think I've basically played all the tennis I could, and it's impossible to keep up with the six WTA 500s. It's just impossible. Especially now that there are more two-week events, it doesn't make sense to stress the body. The way the season is structured, usually, besides the grass, you have two 1000s in a row and then a Grand Slam, a 500 before."
"It doesn't always make sense to play the WTA 500 knowing you're probably going to play four weeks of tennis, and then having to play a Grand Slam, fulfill commitments to sponsors, things like that. I would definitely like to see a solution during my time on the tour to shorten the season. I also think it harms some of the WTA 500s. For example, I wanted to play in Washington this year. But I knew I couldn't play Washington and then play two weeks in Cincinnati and Montreal. I think it harms that tournament due to the scheduling. I would definitely like to see how we can balance that so that it's a bit easier for players to make those decisions in tournaments," says Coco Gauff, who once the confrontation with Belinda Bencic was overcome, is now focusing on her quarterfinal match in the Beijing WTA 1000 against Eva Lys.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff, sobre su polémica con Bencic: "No me gusta tener enfrentamientos en la pista, pero no me gustó su comentario hacia mi equipo"