Coco Gauff comfortably defeated Liudmila Samsonova 7-5, 6-1, to secure her place in the Stuttgart Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. Following her victory, the American star credited Rafael Nadal as the inspiration behind her impressive play on the dirt.
The World No. 3 stood out by striking the ball three meters behind the baseline, prompting the on-court interviewer to ask whose game she modeled her own after.
“The greatest clay court player is Rafa. I don’t quite play like him, but I do try to hit my forehand like he does on clay. I don’t run around as much because my forehand isn’t as good as Rafa’s, but I try to hit it more like him,” Gauff said during her post-match interview.
Gauff’s hilarious comparison to Nadal
When the interviewer suggested that Gauff could be seen as a right-handed version of the Spaniard, the American quickly interjected with a self-deprecating joke. “Like a Walmart version of Rafa. I don’t wanna be obliterated online; I’m like a lesser version than Rafa, okay?” Gauff said with a laugh.
Coco Gauff after beating Samsonova in Stuttgart
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 16, 2026
“Who did you model your game around?”
Coco: “The greatest clay court player is Rafa. I don’t quite play like him but I do try to hit my forehand like he does on clay. I don’t run around as much because my forehand isn’t as good as… pic.twitter.com/pN7soWDMEy
Gauff’s comment about not wanting to be “obliterated online” stems from her past experiences with social media criticism. During the Miami Open, where she reached the final but fell to Aryna Sabalenka, she revealed she had to step away from X (formerly Twitter), labeling the platform “a bit toxic“.
After the Miami tournament, Gauff briefly returned to the platform on April 6, only to post a message indicating she was stepping away again: “deleted twitter for a month, came back today, and got instantly reminded why I should not be on here lol.” That remains her last post to date.
When does Gauff play next?
Gauff is set to face Karolina Muchova in the Stuttgart Open quarterfinals on Friday, April 17. While Gauff holds a dominant 6-0 lead in their head-to-head record, the World No. 3 is not taking her past success for granted.
“Anyone can win on any day. You take what you did well in the last matches and try to do it again. Anything can happen. She’s a great player and a great clay-court player. I don’t take any of those matches into account,” Gauff remarked about the upcoming clash.
