Gauff, Kyrgios set Down Under
American faces Osaka, while Aussie focused
While rising international tennis star Coco Gauff continues making headlines for her remarkable accomplishments at 15, it’s easy to forget that she has regular teenage moments too. But the American reminded everyone of that during a news conference Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
After her stunning second-round comeback victory over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea – she won 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 after falling behind 3-0 in the third set – Gauff was asked if she has made any progress on her goal of getting her driver’s license.
She explained she has her learner’s permit but has to convince one of her parents to let her practice so she can go to Chick-fil-A by herself someday. Gauff, who turns 16 in March, said: “I have my permit now, so I finally did that. Actually, I would show you, but I don’t have it on me. My mom has it ’cause I almost lost it here. I don’t know why I brought it to Australia with me, but yeah, I have my permit.
“My dad lets me drive more than my mom. With my mom, I try to force her to let me drive because I need practice, so then when I’m 16 and I get my license, I’m going to be going to Chick-fil-A and everywhere every day without my parents.”
Fair and normal teenager goals. Gauff added that she got her permit during tennis’ offseason in the fall and said her first time on a Florida highway was “really nerve-racking.” However, she also admitted she got a little practice
behind the wheel before getting her permit in October or November (she wasn’t sure).
“I was already technically driving then, but it was on back roads, you know, getting a feel for it.”
After making it to the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the U.S. Open in 2019, Gauff exploded into the spotlight. In addition to Cirstea, she also beat Venus Williams – who she upset at Wimbledon too – in the first round of the Aussie Open.
Gauff will play No. 3 seed Naomi Osaka in the third round Friday (but it’s Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET) in a rematch from the U.S. Open when Osaka won in straight sets.