Gauff, 15, to 'just wing it' – Wimbledon day three preview

  • Posted: Jul 02, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
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Cori Gauff says her motto is to “just wing it” as the 15-year-old American aims to continue her Wimbledon fairytale on Wednesday.

Gauff, who beat Venus Williams in the first round, plays Magdalena Rybarikova on court two about 19:00 BST.

Britain’s Kyle Edmund plays Spain’s Fernando Verdasco about 15:00 on Centre Court, followed by Novak Djokovic’s meeting with American Denis Kudla.

Heather Watson starts on Court One at 13:00 against Anett Kontaveit.

Canadian 19th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who became the first man born in the 2000s to win a Grand Slam match on Monday, faces French 20-year-old Corentin Moutet on court three.

  • Murray to partner Serena Williams in mixed doubles

‘We’re all going to die one day – I just want to make the most of it’

Gauff announced her arrival to the world with a stunning victory over seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who is 24 years older and had won two of her five Wimbledon titles before Gauff was born in 2004.

The teenage sensation, who idolises the Williams sisters and had a poster of Serena on her wall, showed remarkable composure and belief to become the youngest player to win a main-draw match at SW19 since Jennifer Capriati in 1991.

Now Gauff is aiming to follow Capriati, who went on to reach the last four that year, by moving into the third round when she plays Slovakia’s 2017 semi-finalist Rybarikova, who is also unseeded.

“I just literally don’t play with any pressure. I just tell myself whatever happens happens. I mean, my motto is just, like, wing it,” Gauff, ranked 313th in the world, said.

“This is kind of a sad thing, we’re all going to die one day, I just want to make the most of it.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on the little moments because those are the moments that kind of turn out big when you look back in life.”

Edmund glad to be back on Centre

Edmund, 24, returns to Centre Court after beating Verdasco’s compatriot Jaume Munar on Monday, with the Yorkshireman hoping to continue building his rapport with the 15,000 home crowd.

“The more you play on there, you feel more comfortable with your surroundings and the court,” said the 30th seed, who lost to Serbia’s eventual champion Djokovic on Centre in the third round last year.

“The crowd obviously reacts to how the match is going, different matches, the time of day.

“I remember the Djokovic match, it was really loud. Sometimes it can be less loud. Just depends on the occasion.

“Regardless of that, any time you play on Centre Court, it’s just an amazing honour and feeling.”

Watson, 27, is aiming to reach the third round for a fourth time when she faces Estonian 20th seed Kontaveit, who is coached by Andy Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears.

After first-round exits in Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne, Watson earned a morale-boosting win against American teenager Caty McNally on Monday.

“I’m a confidence player, so not having those wins in the last few weeks, I was maybe overthinking a bit,” said the world number 122.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself naturally because of the person I am. I feel the same every year. I put the same amount of pressure on myself.

“I just really always want to do well.”

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