‘I can smile too': How Coco Gauff learned to find joy playing at US Open with help from Carlos Alcaraz

Coco Gauff is taking a page from No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz's book at the U.S. Open

The 19-year-old American defeated 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday and said she made it a priority to have a good time out there while competing. But who inspired this mindset? Alcaraz.

"Carlos in Cincinnati, he was losing a set every match pretty much and he wasn't playing his best, that was clear," Gauff said after her second round win. "The way that he was still smiling against Hubi Hurkacz [Hubert Hurkacz] and he was down a set and a break or something like that, I don't know, he was down crazy or down match points. He was still smiling."

And then it hit Gauff.

"If he [Carlos Alcaraz] can smile, he's No. 1 in the world and he has all this pressure, he's supposed to beat Hubi [Hubert Hurkacz] on paper, then I can do it in situations maybe where, most of the time now I'm not the underdog, but against, for example, like Iga [Swiatek] or Sabalenka [Aryna], those where I'm considered the underdog on paper, I can smile too."

Gauff says since seeing the joy Alcaraz exudes on the tennis court, she is looking to "transfer that" into her own matches.

"I have a lot of joy in me but I just seem to bottle it up when I play," she said. "Now I'm really just having fun and laughing and smiling, and I think it's making tennis more enjoyable."

Gauff has been open about how much Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have inspired her game and presence on the tennis court over the years. She admires each of their footwork and physicality on the tennis court.

She also called the game's hottest, new rivalry, Djokovic-Alcaraz, to be "peak tennis" and "one-in-a-generation."

"I do think I have the athleticism as them -- not like the same as them -- but compared to my field," Gauff said. "So I'm hoping I can continue to learn by watching them."

Gauff takes her young but brilliant tennis talent to the U.S. Open third round as she faces Belgium's Elise Mertens.

HBCU college aspirations

Part of Gauff having fun on court is tied in with how well the teen is able to keep her life balanced.

Besides her passion for beauty and fashion, Gauff said she aspires to attend college online, specifically an HBCU school.

"If I were to go to college, and I still want to, at least online, in-person is not possible at this point, but I always said it had to be an HBCU," she said. "I always said if tennis didn't take the route that it took I would have 100% would have wanted to go to an HBCU."

Gauff graduated high school in May 2022 and had one of the best graduation pictures of all time taken -- in front of the Eiffel Tower while competing at the French Open.

"The HBCUs are important, and having spaces where Black people can feel free to be creative and live their life is important," she said. "If you look at the way that HBCUs started and the historical context behind it it's pretty incredible how far we have come and becoming one of the top institutions in the country."