Coco Gauff is rapidly approaching her first match of the Australian Open, where she takes on Kamilla Rakhimova.
Gauff has a tough Australian Open draw, with the 21-year-old American looking to win her maiden title in Melbourne.
She is a two-time Grand Slam champion, emerging victorious at the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open.
But Gauff has never made it past the semifinals of the Australian Open, reaching that stage once back in 2024.
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Andrea Petkovic compares Coco Gauff’s mentality with Carlos Alcaraz’s
Former player Andrea Petkovic has now discussed the American ahead of her opening match in Melbourne, saying on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast: “I honestly think it’s amazing with Coco, similar with Carlos Alcaraz, that they can have that day where they just have so much trouble, but they have this incredible mentality to still fight through.
“And if somebody has watched the United Cup over in Perth and Sydney, they would have seen that Coco had a really tough time against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, served 13 double faults, a lot of unforced errors.
“But then just three days later, she played one of the best matches I’ve ever seen her play against Iga Swiatek. And I kind of love that you have these surprise packages with Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff.”
Former player Stubbs added her take on the iconic duo, saying: “Yeah, it’s sort of like a box of chocolates with the two.
“I mean, Carlos a little less than Coco. But yeah he used to be a little bit more unpredictable a couple of years ago. He’s pretty predictable now. He just wins Grand Slams or loses in the final.”
Coco Gauff vs Venus Williams blockbuster no longer possible
Alcaraz has indeed been a constant Grand Slam threat in recent times, winning four of the last eight titles.
In 2025, he won the French Open and the US Open, along with losing the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner, who has won the other four titles.
Gauff will now be aiming to follow Alcaraz in Melbourne, with the Spaniard having just won his opening match against Adam Walton.
But like the American, Australian Open success has thus far eluded the Spanish star, who has never made it past the quarterfinals.
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Whether or not this will be their year remains to be seen, but Gauff should be somewhat relieved ahead of her opener given that Venus Williams has just exited the tournament.
She faced a potential second round clash against the legendary figure, but she failed to win her opening match against Olga Danilovic.
While Gauff would have still been expected to win the match, it represented a potential banana skin for the young star.
More importantly, however, it would have been quite the spectacle for fans and the tournament itself, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.
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