Queens, N.Y.: Coco Gauff holding her trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win her first grand … [+] slam in the the Women’s Singles US Open Tennis Championships at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, Queens, New York on Sept. 9, 2023 (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
There’s no crisis in the tennis world of Coco Gauff. The 20-year-old is the major champion American tennis needed and she’s got bigger ambitions which are in the double digits. Conquering Flushing Meadows as a teenager should come with a public health warning after observing Emma Raducanu’s trajectory, but Gauff has performed solidly if not spectacularly since that magical moment in September.
The problems the World No. 3 face are relative. The start of 2024 was supercharged by the afterglow of her success in New York. She claimed the Auckland Open for the second successive year by defeating Elina Svitolina in three tough sets. That was her seventh WTA final success in eight attempts, hinting at a certain level of invincibility that World No. 1 Iga Swiatek showed when she charged through the field in 2022. It was 29 victories from 33 matches as Gauff approached Melbourne.
The Australian Open journey showed huge strides. Gauff easily beat her previous best of a fourth-round place by reaching the semi-finals. This time, a fired-up Aryna Sabalenka exacted revenge for her U.S. Open defeat by winning in straight sets although the American still has the better of the head-to-head record. Gauff was left to reflect on missed opportunities as she moved out of her teens at the end of winter. Losing hurts more when the opportunities are running out.
There has been a repeat pattern of near misses this campaign season which means she isn’t getting to the business end of a week. Gauff lost to Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai and she was edged out by Maria Sakkari in Indian Wells as the Greek extended her excellent head-to-head record to 5-2. More surprisingly, Caroline Garcia defeated her at the Miami Open. Losses to Marta Kostyuk and Madison Keys on her least favorite surface in Stuttgart and Madrid were perhaps inevitable after such a disappointing return from the Sunshine Double.
There have been far more promising signs this week in Rome where the Delray Beach star engaged her finest battling instincts to bear Paula Badosa in the last 16. She then overcame Australian open runner-up Zheng Qinwen, who is suffering from a downturn in fortunes on the court in the last four months. While the 21-year-old Chinese star admitted that motivation has been a problem since her surge to the final in Melbourne, Gauff’s problems arise generally from her technical deficiencies.
Gauff is in tinkering mode, having been reunited with coach Brad Gilbert for the Italian Open this week. She served an alarming combined aggregate of 26 double faults against Jaqueline Cristian and Badosa. She is simultaneously trying to initiate a more proactive mindset allied to an existing defensive structure. Meanwhile, Swiatek now has a psychological hold after dispatching her in the semi-finals on Thursday to make it ten wins from eleven meetings. The Pole and Sabalenka met for a second consecutive final after the showstopper 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 narrative. Ever since she beat Venus Williams on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 2019, the path has been set for her to take on the world with time aplenty on her side. The U.S. Open was the firelighter but her game, and persona, are still developing. Gauff was branded a Gen Z icon having almost embraced the climate change protest during her crucial semi-final match in New York. Her value is predicted to boom.
ROME, ITALY – MAY 16: Iga Swiatek of Poland and Coco Gauff of the United States shake hands at the … [+] net after the semi-final on Day Eleven of the Internazionali BNL D’Italia at Foro Italico on May 16, 2024 in Rome, Italy (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)
She handles herself well but the wired energy needs to be stored for her assault on the women’s game. “I always knew I wanted to win multiple. The only thing I will try to remember from [the US Open] is just the way that I won. It wasn’t my best tennis. It was more the mental fire,” she remarked at the beginning of the year. Ultimately, Gauff will have to back up her resilience with a consistent skillset. Improving on key shots like the much-discussed forehand and an opening serve which can misfire will be on Gilbert’s to-do list.
For now, Gauff is floating on the periphery of the Big Two. Aiming for the sky is great, but the foundations are holding back Gauff from truly building on her best-ever day out. The good news is that as soon as she finds a true level, there won’t be many who can respond with answers. Rome wasn’t built in a day so a Paris title is probably a step too far for now.
