Jessica Pegula has noticed a change in Coco Gauff’s attitude as she aims to defend her US Open title.
Gauff meets Varvara Gracheva in round one, with the 2023 champion seeded as number three at the US Open.
The American therefore cannot take on number one seed Iga Swiatek until a potential final at Flushing Meadows.
Gauff practised with Billie Jean King ahead of the Grand Slam, which Gauff won last year against Aryna Sabalenka.
But form has not been on the American’s side lately, with the 20-year-old last reaching a singles final back in January.
Jessica Pegula makes Coco Gauff claim ahead of the US Open
She made the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and French Open, but lost in the last 16 at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open.
Gauff also crashed out of the first round of the Cincinnati Open, and the third round of the Paris Olympic singles earlier this summer.
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But her compatriot Pegula has played down Gauff’s lack of form, with the duo having played doubles together at Wimbledon and the Olympics, having also made the 2022 French Open final.
Discussing her observations of Gauff since her US Open win, Pegula said in her press conference: “I mean, as far as I can see, I think she’s handled it really well. I mean, again, she’s so young. You kind of forget how young she is and all the challenges she’s dealing with.
“You saw how she kind of bounced back after Wimbledon to win this title here last year. I think there’s no doubt that she’ll bounce back and take the lessons she learned from that swing and overcoming them into whatever struggles she had this year.
“I think she’s constantly maturing and growing up in front of everybody, and I feel like that’s what I’ve noticed is that she’s growing up. I would say that she’s handling it pretty well. I think, again, being so young, I can’t imagine how I would have handled any of the stuff that she’s gone through.
“But she’s pretty laid back, and I think she’s pretty humble, as well. She knows she’s got a long career ahead and she’s just got to keep working and doing what she has to do.
“I know she loves playing here in New York anyways, and loves the crowd. I’m sure she’ll use a lot of those things to hopefully have a good tournament.”
Can Coco Gauff defend her US Open title?
The crowd could be a huge weapon for Gauff at the US Open, with the 20-year-old potentially needing support when the going gets tough.
She has had a few tricky moments on court this year, with her home fans certain to get behind the American should another arise in New York.
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Gauff impressively lifted the prestigious trophy last time out after crashing out of the first round of Wimbledon earlier that summer.
Her fourth round venture this time around was certainly an improvement, but still short of where the world number three wants to be.
Gauff failed to defend her 2023 Cincinnati Open title earlier this month, so she should have even more motivation to defend her 2023 US Open title.
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