Caty McNally sent a text asking for help.
She had played on Centre Court before, but this time Iga Swiatek was on the opposite side of the net and an emotional Coco Gauff was already out of Wimbledon.
Caty McNally pushed Iga Swiatek to three sets on Wimbledon’s Centre CourtGetty“I did a walk through,” McNally exclusively told talkSPORT.
“I texted someone from the club. I’m like, ‘Can you walk me through so I can just know what I’m doing,’ and they did. It was really sweet of them – it was a great experience.”
McNally captured the first set of her second-round match, but the world No.125 eventually fell 7-5 2-6 1-6 to No. 8-seeded Swiatek on Thursday.
“I’m still trying to process everything, but all I know is that I’m just so proud of myself,” said McNally, a 23-year-old from Cincinnati.
“The way I feel on the court is just so much better than actually before my (elbow) surgery. I trust myself more. I just relished every moment out there and, honestly, it was a dream come true playing Iga, playing on Centre Court.
“I feel like some people go out there and they get so caught up in the moment that it goes by so quick. And I feel like I was able to take it in, even towards the end of the match when she was serving for it and I had the break points.
“I was just trying to get the crowd into it and just trying to enjoy those moments. I looked around a little bit, and I saw someone made a poster saying, ‘Go, Katie, go,’ and it’s just little things like that.”
McNally has twice reached the doubles finals at the US Open, and advanced to the last stage in 2021 with Gauff.
The ‘McCoco’ pairing was a huge hit with fans, and McNally kept a close eye on a reigning French Open champion who was surprisingly knocked out of the first round of Wimbledon this year.
“I’m super grateful for the partnership that we built,” McNally said.
AFPMcNally was more comfortable at Wimbledon this year[/caption] GettyThe crowd tried to help McNally extend the final set[/caption] AFPShe described her time on Centre Court as a ‘great experience’[/caption]“Some of the experiences we had were truly unreal, and I think that was a lot of exposure to some big courts and big crowds.
“We played on Centre Court here at Wimbledon a couple years ago. There was a rain delay and they were like, ‘We’re going to move your match on to Centre Court, roof closed.’ And I was like, ‘Oh.’
“And I even remember it just being doubles, and I was still so nervous and kind of just probably didn’t enjoy the moment as much. So going out there (Thursday), I at least had a little bit of a feeling of how it was going to be, and that was nice.”
With top seeds knocked out early this year in the men’s and women’s brackets, No.2 Gauff joined No.3 Jessica Pegula as first-round losers.
McNally referred to Gauff as a ‘great player’, while discussing a ‘gruelling’ sport that is loaded with depth and requires weekly mental toughness.
“Someone like Coco, she just had a Grand Slam victory,” McNally said.
“I have no idea what it’s like. I’ve never been in her shoes, but I can’t imagine it’s easy to just — I know she went to New York.
“She did a lot of press there, and who knows if she even got to go home, and then she’s back in Berlin. I was like, ‘Oh my God, she’s already back in Berlin.’ So that’s really hard, and I think you have to almost fail and kind of go through it.
“I’m sure now she’s going to understand better how to handle those situations and go after it. But, look, she’s doing incredible things.
“She just won her second grand slam. There’s not too much you can be obviously upset about. I’m sure she’s a super strong competitor.
“I know she doesn’t like to lose, so I’m sure it hurts. But I think it can’t take away from all that she’s accomplished.”
McNally has previously reached No.54 in singles and No.11 in doubles, and has career earnings of $2.4m.
instagram@catymcnallyShe’s recovered from elbow surgery and trying to climb higher[/caption]After feeling more comfortable than ever on Wimbledon’s grass and pushing Swiatek to three sets – while earning the respect of a passionate Centre Court crowd – McNally is now eyeing her own career breakthrough.
“I actually said to my mom, who’s my coach, and then my physio before the tournament, I was like, ‘I don’t know when it’s coming, but it’s coming,’ McNally said.
“I can just feel it. I feel like my game’s in a good spot. My head’s in a good spot. I just need to keep playing and I feel like I’m trending in the right direction.
“I wish it was that match that it could have been, but I think I just have to hold my head high and just kind of walk away with it and learn from it, and hopefully I can be in more experiences like that.”
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