Coco Gauff says what she has found ‘weird’ about being in Indian Wells for the WTA Finals this year

The world number four will now end her season at home in the States, with Gauff competing at the WTA Finals and representing the USA in their Billie Jean King Cup tie against Hungary in Delray Beach, Florida.

This year’s WTA Finals are being held in Indian Wells for one year only, and Gauff has admitted what she has found ‘weird’ about being at the venue ahead of her first round-robin match.

Coco Gauff admits what is ‘weird’ about being in Indian Wells in November

The WTA Finals were set to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, again this year, but after that contract was brought to an abrupt end, Indian Wells stepped in to host the 2026 tournament before Charlotte, North Carolina, takes the reins from 2027 to 2029.

While it is not the usual host of the WTA Finals, Indian Wells has a strong place on the calendar as one of the biggest ATP/WTA 1000 tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams.

However, with only eight singles players and eight doubles teams in Indian Wells for the WTA Finals, Gauff has admitted that she has found the more empty feel of the venue a little ‘weird’, but in a good way.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely weird being here, finding a table to sit in players dining, just having a lot more space. It feels nice,” Gauff said in her pre-tournament press conference. “Obviously it’s going to be — you know, we’re in the quiet days right now, so it’s nice to be, like, be around the site, actually enjoy the site, which we normally can’t do.

“Yeah, I’m just looking forward to playing on this court. As far as differences? It feels very similar to March. I think it’s warmer now than it typically is in March. Other than that, I feel like it’s the same.”

Gauff has never won a title in Indian Wells before, with her best result coming in 2024 when she made it to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament.

Coco Gauff’s WTA Finals record ahead of this year’s tournament

The WTA Finals have seen mixed results for Gauff so far, as she makes her fifth appearance at the prestigious tournament this year. Gauff is a former WTA Finals champion, having won the title in Riyadh, but actually has a negative win-loss record.

Gauff won only one of the three round-robin matches she played at the WTA Finals last year, causing her to crash out at the earliest stage possible and leave Riyadh with a 7-8 win-loss record at the tournament.

While she has not always enjoyed the best results at the WTA Finals, it is still a huge accomplishment for Gauff to have qualified for the tournament for five consecutive years, particularly as she is still only 22 years old.

When asked about this achievement, Gauff stated that she was ‘proud’ to have reached the WTA Finals once again and admitted that she does not always realise how big her accomplishments are at the time.

“I mean, I think I’m always usually a focus on what’s next type of person, but definitely here five times in a row is definitely something to be proud of because consistently being amongst the top eight players of the world for some time now, so,” said Gauff.

She added, “I think definitely that’s an accomplishment. I just think sometimes when you’re in it, you don’t really realize how big of a deal it is. There’s moments when you look at the photos and stuff, you are just like, wow, I’m here. I grew up watching the tournament. It’s been here for a second now.”

Gauff will begin her WTA Finals campaign on Sunday, November 8, where she will face her compatriot Jessica Pegula in her opening round-robin match, in a group that also includes world number one Elena Rybakina and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.

Add to Preferred Sources