Gauff, after saving three match points against Jovic: "My head was almost in the locker room"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 11 May 2026 | 20.06

Gauff, after saving three match points against Jovic: "My head was almost in the locker room." Photo: Getty Images

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Coco Gauff has more lives than a cat at the WTA Roma 2026. The American is getting used to coming out of the toughest situations in the Italian tournament after first coming back against Solana Sierra (5-7, 6-0, 6-4) and today against Iva Jovic (5-7, 7-5, 6-2), where she had to save three match points and turn the score around for the second consecutive day.

In this epic and resilient manner, the world number four has managed to make it to the quarterfinals of Rome, where she will face Mirra Andreeva. But before thinking about the Russian, she stopped by the press conference, where she confessed what was going through her mind on each of the three match points she had against her, as well as the pressure she puts on herself in every tournament, hindering her from showcasing her best tennis.

Summarizing a crazy match

"It was a tough match. Many things happened. I think there were moments when I was playing well and she wasn't, and vice versa, she was playing well and I wasn't. It was really hard. I think the conditions made it difficult to play clean tennis. I'm very proud of how I was able to fight."

Coco Gauff reveals what she felt during the three match points she had to come back from against Iva Jovic at the WTA Roma 2026

"Honestly, on that match point my mind was almost in the locker room. I thought: 'Well, I'm going to hear a lot about this match.' Then, I don't know, I was able to move forward. I think she dropped her level a bit when she was ahead, and that helped me get back into the match. I actually thought about my match in Dubai, when I saved five or six match points against Mertens. I told myself: 'Maybe today I can do it again'."

"Obviously, you try to simulate pressure as much as possible in training, but nothing really compares to a match. Yesterday, in doubles, we also saved a match point. We won 13-11. I was a bit more nervous then than today. Maybe the doubles helped me in that sense."

She doesn't like her coach to intervene too much during the match

"Honestly, I'm not a player who gets long talks from her coach very often. At that moment, I felt he gave me good advice. It wasn't anything tactically complex. Sometimes, when your head is all over the place, you just need to be reminded of the things you need to stay focused on in those moments of panic. It was more of a reaffirmation."

The comeback QUEEN 👑@CocoGauff comes back from the brink to confirm her place in the quarterfinals, defeating Jovic 5-7, 7-5, 6-2!#IBI26 pic.twitter.com/IzpTxfpP3N
— wta (@WTA) May 11, 2026

She knows what she needs to improve on

"Honestly, the starts haven't been bad. In the first round, I was a break up. Today, I was also a break up in the first set, I think 3-1 and 30-0. For me, it's more about holding onto the lead when I have it in the first set."

"It's a learning experience. I'm not disappointed. I played against two quality opponents, Eva being top 20. I'm not Jannik, I think I'm going to lose some sets. Obviously, the goal is to start those matches well… well, I think I start them well, but I have to close out the first sets so I don't have to spend three hours on court."

She struggles to find the balance between pressure and enjoyment

"It's hard. I think I tend to put too much pressure on myself. In sports, you always want more and more, at least at my age. Maybe later on, I'll see it differently. Sometimes I put too much pressure on every tournament because I want to win. Now I've taken a step back and understood that I'm not going to win every tournament, and that I need to focus on the journey and the process."

"Losses in Grand Slams are always going to hurt. But maybe I shouldn't put so much pressure on Rome or Madrid. Right now, almost all the tournaments I play are 1000 or 500, they're all significant. I try to take some pressure off in those tournaments to protect my mind a bit," concludes Coco Gauff who while holding on in the WTA Roma, aims to arrive in the best possible shape for her title defense at Roland Garros.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff, tras salvar tres bolas de partido ante Jovic: "Mi cabeza estaba casi en el vestuario"