Gauff acknowledges Rybakina's superiority: "She managed to maintain herself better than I did"

Coco Gauff said goodbye to the US Open, but with her head held high. The 2023 champion will not be able to fight for her second title after a semifinal in which she came very close to winning, but found herself against a new world number one, Elena Rybakina, who was more decisive and cool in the key moments of the match (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) and will battle for the trophy against Aryna Sabalenka.

In the press conference following her defeat, the American wanted to emphasize Rybakina's excellent performance in the key moments, as well as her demeanor that makes her so inscrutable. At the same time, she took pride in her North American hard court tour, but expressed pain at having ended her journey at the US Open, the tournament she considers the most important on her calendar.

Gauff gave all the credit for the victory to Rybakina

"She played really well. I thought it was a good match and, honestly, it came down to a couple of my service games in both sets where I couldn't hold serve. I need to watch the match again and see what happened, but she does a great job of being present at every point and putting a lot of pressure both on your service games and on your return games. So yes, I think she was able to maintain the line better than I was tonight."

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Gauff explained the difference in this match compared to the one they played earlier in Toronto

"In Toronto, we both played a pretty erratic first half, honestly. So the goal was not to start the match playing poorly. I mean, I won that set, but I think we could both agree it was a set full of errors in Toronto. I think I started playing much better today. I felt the ball much better."

"The goal was to try not to play too defensively. Obviously against her you will have to do that, but not rely solely on it, because she's playing incredible tennis and her shots are going to go in. So yes, I think that was the difference. Honestly, it worked better today. I just need to do better in some of those service games at the end of the sets."

Gauff expressed her appreciation for the American crowd

"It means a lot. It always hurts in the end to feel like... well, I know it’s not a complete disappointment, but just not being able to get the win for them. However, they definitely carried me through many of these matches here. I can feel the love until the very last point. I think it’s a very unique experience as an athlete to live something like this."

"I think most athletes feel something similar in team sports or collective events. Tennis is very special because you literally have... I probably had 99.9% of the crowd behind me and supporting only me. It’s an experience and an atmosphere that I will always cherish, because I know that even though I hope to have many more years here, looking at life in perspective, it really isn’t that much time."

Gauff confessed how difficult it is to interpret Rybakina's on-court personality

"Elena is probably... I don't want to say carefree because she isn't, but she just never shows reaction. I’m sure she can seem that way, but we all feel nerves and all those things. Now, how much she lets that affect her, we don’t know, and I think that’s precisely her strength. You can never see what she’s feeling. Of course, she’s human, so she feels nerves and everything we all feel. But, as I said, she's been through this more than once, so she has that experience."

A love she’ll cherish forever. 💙 pic.twitter.com/bfzj3bma9o

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2026

Eliminated from the US Open, but Gauff left proud and looking towards the future

"Right now I'm just thinking about next year. I think every US Open... without disrespecting other tournaments, but every US Open is where my mind is most focused on improving for the next year. I will be playing in China and hope to qualify for the WTA Finals, but every time I've played those tournaments, it has been with the objective of testing things for the next season or figuring out what I need to work on during the preseason. I think that mindset works because I usually have good results in those tournaments, so this US Open will just be a return, looking at what I can improve and what I need to try to implement or add to my game during the Asian swing."

"I’m hurting, but that’s the goal. I want to be a consistent player. I want to give myself as many opportunities as possible to lift a trophy. But yes, it hurts. All that is well and good, but I think the competitor inside me... this is the tournament where I want to perform at my best. I mean, I’ve performed, but it’s the tournament where you want to come out winning. It’s definitely a learning experience and I hope to keep putting myself in positions where I can win."

Eliminated from the US Open, but Gauff left proud and looking to the future

"I’ve played almost all my matches on my own terms. The worst match for me was probably the quarter-finals, where I maybe fell back into some old habits, but within 24 hours I was able to change that. I think it’s a matter of confidence to keep improving."

"I look at the other semifinalists. They are older than me, three or four years more. I’m trying to think about how much work I’ve put in this year, how much I’ve advanced, and now I’m excited to keep working for another year, another two years, and see where I am at 24 or 25 and how far my game can take me. I hope it’s toward the winning side in matches like this," concluded a Coco Gauff who will surely bring much joy to American tennis.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff reconoce la superioridad de Rybakina: "Supo mantenerse mejor que yo"