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Coco Gauff has revealed that Carlos Alcaraz reached out to her after she shared a video of one of her unusual practice sessions. The world No. 4 is competing at the WTA Finals, and before heading to Indian Wells for her last event of the season, Gauff prepared with a unique drill. The American cut a portion out of her racket frame and put some tennis balls on top of poles, swinging at them to see if she could swing using the pinpointed gap in her racket. Miss, and she’d whack the pole.
It’s a training method that Alcaraz used earlier this year while gearing up to make a comeback from a four-and-a-half-month wrist injury layoff. The Spanish star had also shared videos of himself completing the drills on Instagram earlier this year, which evidently inspired Team Gauff.
Arriving in Indian Wells, Gauff was asked whether it was her or her coaches who decided to take a lead out of Alcaraz’s book. “It was actually neither. It was my fitness coach Fabian,” the two-time Major champion replied.
“I was thinking it was just for, like, his wrist. It was actually working on spacing, coordination with the ball and stuff. Actually, I didn't like it at first because I kept hitting the pole. Then I started to like it.”
Gauff’s mind was changed when she heard from Alcaraz himself. She continued: “I actually, like, talked to Carlos a little bit. He said he was messing up in the beginning a lot first, too, so that made me feel better about myself.
“My team was like, ‘If Carlos can do it, you can do it’. I'm like, ‘He's Carlos and I'm me’. He doesn't post his bloopers.”
And she confirmed that it was Alcaraz who reached out after seeing the training footage. “Yeah, after I posted it. He messaged me. I had to get confirmation to make sure I wasn't the only one messing up,” Gauff said.
The drills have clearly paid off for Alcaraz, who has already lifted two titles since returning to competition in late August. The world No. 3 defended his title at the Japan Open in Tokyo before lifting the trophy in Vienna last week. And he’s now into a maiden Paris Masters semi-final.
Gauff, meanwhile, is looking to win the WTA Finals for the second time in three years, having claimed the crown in 2024. The world No. 4 has been drawn in a round-robin group alongside Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Linda Noskova. The other group features Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, and Karolina Muchova.
It’s been a month since Gauff last played a match, as she lost in the round of 16 at the China Open and then skipped the Wuhan Open. “I had a mix of rest and training while I was at home,” the 22-year-old explained.
“Kind of treating it like the off-season for a little bit, then a little bit of a pre-season, too, just because right after this I have BJK Cup, then it's Thanksgiving, then it's time to start for pre-season again. Just trying to think I'm fresh for 2027.”
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