Queens, New York: Coco Gauff lifts the trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win her first grand championship. … [+]
There is no crisis in Coco Gauff’s tennis world. The 20-year-old is the major champion American tennis needs and has lofty double-digit ambitions. If we look at Emma Laducanu’s trajectory, her teenage conquering of Flushing Meadows should come with public health warnings, but Gauff hasn’t been spectacular since that magical moment in September. However, it is showing solid performance.
The problems facing the world’s No. 3 are relative. The start of 2024 was fueled by the afterglow of her success in New York. She defeated Elina Svitolina in three grueling sets to win the Auckland Open for the second consecutive year. It was her seventh WTA Finals success in eight attempts and hinted at a level of invincibility that world No. 1 Iga Swiatek will display as she runs through the field in 2022. This was 29 wins out of 33 games when Gauff approached Melbourne.
The Australian Open trip showed great progress. Gauff easily defeated her previous best result in the fourth round and advanced to the semi-finals. This time, a fired-up Aryna Sabalenka took revenge for her loss at the US Open by winning in straight sets, despite the fact that America still had the better head-to-head record. Gauff finished her teenage years at the end of winter and was forced to reflect on missed opportunities. Losing hurts more when your chances are running out.
A series of near misses this campaign season mean she won’t make it to the end of the week. Gauff lost to Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai and narrowly lost to Maria Sakkari in Indian Wells, increasing the Greek’s impressive head-to-head record to 5-2. Even more amazingly, Caroline Garcia defeated her at the Miami Open. After a disappointing return from the Sunshine Double, it was perhaps inevitable that they lost to Marta Kostyuk and Madison Keys on their least favorite surfaces in Stuttgart and Madrid.
There were far more positive signs this week in Rome, with the Delray Beach star using his best fighting instincts to advance to the last 16 against Paula Badosa. She then defeated Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen, who has suffered from a downturn in her fortunes in 2018. In court over the past four months. The 21-year-old Chinese star admitted that her motivation has been an issue since reaching the final in Melbourne, but Gauff’s problems generally stem from her technical flaws.
Gauff has reunited with coach Brad Gilbert and is in adjustment mode ahead of this week’s Italian Open. She served an astonishing total of 26 double faults against Jacqueline Cristian and Badosa. At the same time, she is trying to start thinking more proactively, working with existing defense structures. Swiatek, on the other hand, has been psychologically subdued by sending her to Thursday’s semi-finals and winning 10 of her 11 matches. The Pole and Sabalenka faced each other in the final for the second consecutive year following a close battle in Madrid.
There’s a rich vein of competition at the top of the WTA rankings right now, and Gauff certainly wants to be part of that story. Since she defeated Venus Williams on Center Court at Wimbledon in 2019, the path has been paved for her to take on the world with plenty of time on her side. The US Open provided a spark, but her game and personality are still developing. Gauff’s near embrace of climate change protests during her crucial semi-final match in New York has led to her being dubbed a Gen Z icon. Her value is predicted to skyrocket.
ROME, ITALY – MAY 16: Poland’s Iga Swiatek and USA’s Coco Gauff shake hands. … [+]
She handles herself well, but needs to save up her wired energy for attacks on the women’s game. She said, “I always wanted to win more than once. The only thing I try to remember is [the US Open] That’s how I won. It wasn’t my best tennis. It was more like a spiritual fire,” she said at the beginning of the year. Ultimately, Gauff will need to back up his resiliency with a consistent skill set. Improving key shots such as the much-talked-about forehand and the potentially dud opening serve will be on Gilbert’s to-do list.
For now, Gauff hovers on the fringes of the Big Two. Aiming for the skies is great, but the fundamentals are holding Gauff back from truly continuing her best day yet. The good news is that even if she finds out her true level, not many people will have an immediate answer. Rome wasn’t built in a day and winning in Paris is probably a step too far for now.
