25 Quotes for #COCO25

CHARLESTON QUOTEBOOK: ON CRASH, QUINCY AND REGULAR EMMA

Looking back on an incredible 2025 Credit One Charleston Open, on its 25th anniversary in Charleston, in the words of those who made it all happen. A #COCO25 quotebook:

1. “I’m having a lot more fun competing. And I just feel like I’m enjoying the challenge of competing and the challenge of problem solving every single match.” — Jessica Pegula

2. “Both of us, when we’re smiling, we’re probably playing our best tennis. For some people, it’s more business-serious, but I think both of us are lucky because when we’re smiling, we play our best. We just try to keep that energy going.” — Erin Routliffe, who with first-time partner Jelena Ostapenko captured the 2025 Credit One Charleston Open doubles title

3. “Tennis, we get a chance to kind of redeem ourselves almost every week.” — Jessica Pegula

4. “I’m really lucky to have people that are very grounding for me around me. They make me feel like ‘regular Emma’, I guess.” — Emma Navarro

5. “I’m definitely starting my little farm, so there will be more animals. I feel like once you get chickens, it’s over. Then you want the donkey. Then you want the goats. Then you want the horses. I’m trying to control myself a little bit and not keep getting more and more pets.” — Confessed animal lover Danielle Collins, who rescued an injured puppy (dubbed ‘Crash’) during the Miami Open

Danielle Collins with her labradoodle, Quincy.

6. “It’s my first official day as an Australian player. Honestly, it feels different, I’m not going to lie. It’s emotional for me. I have to get used to it. But I’m really happy to start this new chapter of my life representing Australia on the big stage.” — Daria Kasatkina, who made her debut under the Australian flag

7. “I’m a tough boss on the court. But when I’m off-court, I’m so easygoing, so relaxed. I even say that off-court, I have a sweet character. It’s the opposite.” — Zheng Qinwen

8. “I was laughing the other day, thinking, “I feel like we were just in Charleston. Why were we just in Charleston? Oh, yeah, our wedding! I forgot!” It feels like it was just yesterday, but also so many things have happened. We’re really excited to come back.” — Madison Keys, who married longtime partner/coach Bjorn Fratangelo along the Kiawah River in November

9. “She’s the way she is. She’s not trying to be someone that people are waiting for. She’s just herself and she’s real, and I kind of like it.” — Jelena Ostapenko on Round-of-16 opponent Danielle Collins

10. “The lifestyle is very stressful and chaotic, and I personally couldn’t be in that environment anymore. I just needed some time away from it.” — Amanda Anisimova on why she stepped away from the tour in 2023

Emma Navarro and Belinda Bencic.

11. “Doubts? For sure, every professional athlete, everyone has doubts. It’s normal. It’s like after injuries: You have some days where maybe you doubt, ‘Will I really be able to get back to the same level where I was before?’ We learn to overcome that, to keep going.” — Belinda Bencic, who returned to the tour after maternity leave in October

12. “Mindset-wise, I never think I’m going to lose until I shake hands. I always think there’s a chance that I can win the match. I just rely a lot on my toughness and grit and my ability to stick in there. In my head, I can handle any deficit, any challenge that I’m faced with.” — Emma Navarro

13. “My priorities have obviously changed. My family is now the most important thing. Now when I’m playing, I’m definitely passionate about what I’m doing on the court, I still want to perform at my best. But now I’m not putting all the pressure on that. I can see there are much more important things now.” — New mom Belinda Bencic

14. “I had really come to a place where I finally felt like I was happy with my career. Not to say that I didn’t want more or didn’t still have big goals, but it was no longer this overwhelming kind of feeling of not being good enough and not measuring up.” — Australian Open titlist Madison Keys

15. “Sometimes you get stressed out because maybe it doesn’t work out the way that media, fans, want it to work out. But I think I proved a lot of people wrong in the aspect of me doing so well and being so consistent the last couple of years. Just because I haven’t won a Slam doesn’t mean I’m not having a successful career.” — Jessica Pegula

Desirae Krawczyk takes the wheel of the Daniel Island Ferry.

16. “He’s been very spoiled here. The food this week has been phenomenal, and people have been so nice in the dining area, making him smoked salmon and fish and chicken and like all the things that he loves to eat. It’s been funny: When I’m back at the hotel and I try to give him his regular food, he’s kind of looking at me like, ‘Well, what can I negotiate here?’” — Danielle Collins on her labradoodle, Quincy

17. “Last year I decided I was a clay specialist, and I’m just going to try to run with that this year and see how it goes. I think that after many, many years, I’ve kind of accepted that my game is pretty good on clay, and I feel like I move fairly well on it. I’ve stopped fighting it and just going to go with it and say that I love clay.” — Madison Keys

18. “Probably my favorite city in the world.” — Emma Navarro on her hometown of Charleston

19. “You want to give back to your sport that’s given you so much and has led to an amazing career or whatever your journey is, and giving back to that is really important, and that’s always inspiring the next generation.” — Jessica Pegula

20. “I’ve matured, grown up a bit. It was five years ago. I was kind of in my head maybe in a different state of mind, but now I’ve matured.” — Sofia Kenin on how she has changed since winning the 2020 Australian Open

21. “She doesn’t really give you a lot emotionally. She kind of just walks side to side, stays in her own little bubble, does her thing whether she’s winning or losing. So that can be hard to gauge when you’re playing her.” — Jessica Pegula on Sofia Kenin

22. “We’re very fortunate that we get to live out our childhood dreams, but there are a lot of challenges that come along with this.” — Danielle Collins

23. “Mate.” — Daria Kastatkina trying out one of her new Australian colloquialisms

24. “It’s so historical here. The whole city seems like huge historical things. You can go wherever you want and everywhere there’s going to be something beautiful to see.” — Ekaterina Alexandrova

25. “It’s kind of transformational between tennis and fashion. I can explore a different part of myself. When I’m on the tennis court, it seems like people around you, there’s a big chance they’ll be your opponent. But on the fashion side, it’s more chill. Everybody’s talking and laughing. In that moment, I’m not worried, a normal girl who loves beauty.” — Zheng Qinwen

Zheng Qinwen.