18-Year-Old Coco Gauff’s Giant Dilemma Amid Climate Adversities During Season Opener in New Zealand- ‘Didn’t End Up…’

The ASB Classic is not making it to the good books of tennis players this season. The tournament is often brought to a halt due to the incessant rain which the players find distracting. In what seemed to be the worst-case scenario imaginable, Emma Raducanu had to pull out from the tournament owing to an ankle injury. However, apart from Emma, another internationally acclaimed WTA player has expressed her concerns regarding the slippery courts.

The 18-year-old American Coco Gauff is playing the ASB Classic too. From the time she defeated the former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, Gauff looks in great form for this season. However, it wasn’t easy to play the match, let alone win amidst the constant downpour. In an interview after the match, Gauff talks about what it’s like playing in such bad weather.

Coco Gauff is tired of just “waiting, waiting, waiting”

Gauff’s match was played on an indoor court. While she was facing the nervousness of playing against the former AO champion, Gauff also had to deal with a lot of anxiety. She did not have any idea about when she’d be in the court. This made the situation trickier. “The tough part was deciding when to eat and I didn’t end up eating before the match, I had lunch at 12 pm, but I didn’t expect to go on court so late.”

Read more: Florida Girl Coco Gauff Reveals How a TikTok Fan Pushed Her to Register a Great Victory in Australia – ‘It’s the Tropical Weather’

Talking about not knowing whether she’d play indoors or outdoors, Gauff says, “It’s been tough honestly”. Players often snap out of their mindset after matches are delayed for so long. “Just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, then being put indoors…I didn’t think we’d wait so long before they made the decision.”

According to Gauff, the pre-game situation was more infuriating than the slippery courts.  “Honestly, I…thought it was going to pour all day. I went back to the hotel, took a nap, then came back here.”

Emma Raducanu, taken down by a slippery slope

British tennis star Emma Raducanu faced an intense ankle injury while on court at the ASB Classic on Thursday night during her match against Viktoria Kuzmova. Watching the British tennis star in tears after the match was not very encouraging for her fans, to say the least.

Emma Raducanu said it wasn’t shocking that she rolled her ankle on the “slippery” indoor courts. The 2021 US Open champion left the court in tears as she walked out of the match. Although the match was moved indoors due to the bad weather, the court wasn’t leveled properly.

While the courts are definitely difficult to play on, fans and Raducanu are both hoping that this injury doesn’t put her performance at the upcoming AO2022 in a fix.

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