Coco Gauff is one of the biggest names in women’s tennis and as a 20-year-old the future is so bright for the 2023 US Open champion.
The current year has finished for Gauff and 2024 perhaps won’t live long in the memory of the American who reached two semi-finals and two fourth rounds in the Grand Slam events.
Gauff has already achieved so much in her short career. Despite the fact that women’s tennis is so competitive these days, there are so many reasons to believe that the youngster will win many more titles as she develops.
Back in 2019, Gauff made her debut on the WTA Tour and it wasn’t clear then what the future might hold for the player given that she’d enjoyed a decent doubles partnership with Caty McNally in girls tennis.
The two players have now seen their careers take a very different path but back when the draw was made for the Miami Open in 2019, Gauff might have been left fearing her worst nightmare.
Coco Gauff beat Caty McNally during WTA Tour debut in 2019
As a 15-year-old there was no pressure whatsoever on Gauff. Coming up against McNally must have been so tough, however, with the pair enjoying a good partnership playing doubles.
The talented teenager was able to squeeze through on that occasion – offering a glimpse of the player she would become during a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over McNally.
Even then, McNally must have been aware of what Gauff we go on and achieve. She had beaten her in the Roland Garros junior final the year previous and even then it appears there was a gulf in class.
After that match, Gauff said on McNally: “I still don’t believe that I won. I didn’t really think it was over. This is a dream. I have been dreaming of this moment for years, just playing in the Miami Open.
“It kind of helped (that I knew her), because I knew her tendencies, but that also helped her. We kind of both had an advantage because we know each other’s games very well.”
Caty McNally’s singles record
Right now, the 23-year-old pales in comparison to Gauff who recently won the WTA Finals event which took place in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
Whilst Gauff turns up to every single event believing she can add to her Grand Slam title, McNally didn’t enter any of the majors as a singles participant during 2024.
A world ranking of 817 means that qualification would be required for all of the majors and her record is pretty poor when it comes to her singles career.
McNally was at number 54 in the world back in May 2023 and during that year she reached the first round at Wimbledon after qualifying and also made the second round in Australia.
These days, however, McNally has turned her hand to playing doubles competitions and in 2021 and 2022, she reached the final of the US Open playing with Gauff and Taylor Townsend respectively.
What have Gauff and McNally achieved in doubles tennis
Together McNally and Gauff have won three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, whilst the duo also reached the final of the 2021 US Open but fell at the final hurdle.
The other wins came at the Emilia-Romagna Open in 2021 and at the BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open in 2019.
Together the American partnership collected one Grand Slam junior title too, with Gauff and McNally having won the US Open girls’ doubles title in 2018 before Gauff forayed onto the main tour as a singles participant.
Are McNally and Gauff still friends?
In short, yes! The pair might have seen their careers go in opposite directions but speaking in August 2022, McNally was quizzed on her relationship with Gauff.
She told Tennis World: “What she’s doing is incredible. I’ve reached out to Coco and congratulated her on her latest triumph.
“Coco and I, yeah, like we are not playing right now, as everyone has probably seen, but we still have a great friendship. I still consider her one of my best friends on the tour.”
With these quotes in mind, it remains to be seen whether we will see McCoco strutting their stuff on the doubles court again any time in the near future.
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