Last week was a unique experience for Coco Gauff as she attended the 97th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in California. In her yellow Miu Miu gown, the 2023 US Open winner stunned everyone with her enviable look. But by her own admission, getting ready for the event was “a lot” for Gauff. Being an athlete, glamor doesn’t come easy to the American. “Hair, makeup, the whole ‘do. I play tennis, so I’m not used to this glam, but it’s nice to get dressed for the day,” she said while talking to the Canadian journalist Amelia Dimoldenberg at the event. But how did the night go for Coco in terms of her interactions with people?

During a conversation with Tennis Channel, dated March 9, Gauff was asked about her experience from the Academy Awards extravaganza and Vanity Fair party, and she admitted that it was “great.” But she also went on to spill the beans about a few bizarre encounters he had with the fans over there. Gauff revealed that people present at the event “actually knew” who she was. That’s a great thing, right? Well, it wasn’t really because most of the questions, apparently, were about her on-court struggles, and she might not have particularly enjoyed that. “Like, vivid tennis fans were asking me some controversial questions,” the 20-year-old revealed.

“And I was like, ‘Hi, nice to meet you.’ But I’m like, maybe that’s just that. That’s the world. They probably just get straight to it. I don’t know, I feel like, you know, here in the sports, we try to either just ignore things or massage it in,” Gauff continued.

When asked about the ‘controversial questions’, she said they were mainly related to “this stuff going on earlier this year. You know, just the stuff that’s been happening on tour.”

But after a subpar start to the season, coming off three consecutive defeats, Gauff seems to be regaining her form. On Saturday, in R64, she overcame Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima with a score line of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). Well, it was not one of Coco’s best performances for sure, as she made as many as 74 unforced errors, but she advanced to the next round, and that’s what matters for now.

After crashing out in the QF phase down under and facing first-round exits at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships last month, this victory came as a huge relief for the World No. 3. If she continues the momentum, she won’t have to worry about facing the questions that she faced at the Academy Awards. But hey, that’s just part and parcel of any sportsperson’s life, isn’t it?

The 2024 WTA Finals winner has gotten the winning momentum back. Also, she’s become the fourth American to register 10 or more wins at the BNP Paribas Open before turning 21. But now, she will need to make a deep run at the event this month. In her next encounter, a rematch of last year’s semifinal awaits her.

Coco Gauff to face Maria Sakkari once again in Indian Wells

It was evident that Coco Gauff wasn’t at the top of her game against Uchijima. Even she admitted after the match that “It wasn’t my best tennis at all today,” as reported on the BNP Paribas Open’s website. “Just happy to get through. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, so I am just happy to get a win on the court,” she remarked.

In the next round though, Gauff will have to put in her best effort. After all, she’s set to face a familiar opponent in Maria Sakkari. The latter ousted her from the Indian Wells last season. Remember that SF battle where the Greek player had the last laugh over the American?

Sakkari eliminated Coco with a score line of 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. This time, she’s coming off a thumping first-round victory against the Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova, whom she beat with a score line of 6-0, 6-3.

In the h2h tally, Sakkari leads Gauff 5-3 at the moment. So, what’s going to be Gauff’s strategy against her? “I guess my keys will just be to focus on my end of the court and accept that she’s going to hit some great shots. She’s a great player. I think just trying to focus on my end and be ready and know that it’s going to be a physical match,” the former US Open champion said.

Are you backing Coco Gauff to avenge last year’s loss against Sakkari when they meet on Monday? Let us know in the comments below.