Coco Gauff explains how Alysa Liu inspired her at the Miami Open this year

Miami Gardens, Florida – Even in defeat, Coco Gauff found a silver lining. The 22-year-old American fell to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in Saturday’s Miami Open final, yet walked off the Hard Rock Stadium court with renewed perspective and a fresh source of motivation: Olympic figure-skating champion Alysa Liu.

Gauff, who had never previously advanced past the quarterfinals at her home-state WTA 1000 event, credited Liu’s performance at last month’s Winter Olympics for helping her reframe the loss.

“I think I can talk down on myself, but in that moment…you know an athlete that I was inspired by at the Winter Olympics was Alysa Liu,” Gauff told reporters. “I had the mindset today that it doesn’t matter what happens, you lose but there’s no real loss in this situation.”

The reigning French Open champion said she watched Liu compete in Beijing and felt moved by the skater’s poise under pressure. That admiration carried into her own post-match reflections as she scanned the stands for family and friends.

“I was just looking at my box and seeing all my family and friends and hearing them in the crowd,” Gauff said. “I know how much they supported me to be on this stage, so I was just thinking more gratitude and things like that.”

Gauff admitted the immediate aftermath of a final defeat is “tough,” replaying points in her head while still on court. Yet the shift toward gratitude, she insisted, is deliberate.

“It is a mindset shift, because as soon as you lose a final it’s tough… Then after it’s over you just learn from it and yeah I’m grateful, because I didn’t think I’d be here and I’m here, and I know that I can repeat this and come with the bigger trophy, and I feel confident in that.”

The run to her first Miami final caps a resurgent fortnight for Gauff, who arrived at the tournament amid questions about her form and fitness. Her result will lift her back to No. 3 in the WTA rankings, but the American now faces a demanding clay-court stretch. She has 3,408 ranking points to defend through Roland Garros—more than any other player—after winning the French Open, finishing runner-up in Madrid and Rome last season.

Gauff’s clay campaign begins at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on April 13, where she reached the quarterfinals a year ago. Top-ranked Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and defending champion Iga Swiatek are also slated to compete in the German event.