Coco Gauff has enjoyed a pretty successful 2025 despite facing criticisms once again.
Gauff has won her second Grand Slam title by winning the French Open crown earlier this year, whilst she recently won the Wuhan Open too.
Gauff has snapped back at critics recently, and frankly, she always quietly goes about her business in an impressive fashion.
Gauff has hired a new coach this year to aid her with 405 double faults coming from her racket this year – comfortably the most of any player on the WTA Tour.
American star Gauff might be wise to look at Aryna Sabalenka, who had similar issues in the past before becoming the dominant force on the tour.
Still, there are plenty of positives for Gauff as the WTA Finals approach, and she’s been hailed by a multiple Grand Slam winner.
Lindsay Davenport states what she’s liked about Coco Gauff in recent weeks
Davenport managed to claim three major titles during her career, and now Gauff is on the cusp of pulling level with her compatriot.
Earlier this year, Davenport raved about Gauff, and it would appear that she’s a big fan of the talented youngster.
Speaking to the Tennis Channel, she said: “She’s trying to really get that confidence back up.
“She was a player who, it was tough in the summer to watch her play in both Cincinnati and New York, and she was another player who, at that point of the year, was just struggling with expectations, under a lot of pressure, she wanted to win a second major.
“You’d think the pressure would have been off after Roland Garros, but it almost did the opposite for her; there were a lot of eyes on her at the US Open while she was trying to make technical changes.
“It’s been nice to see her play in China a little bit more relaxed and not worry about every little detail and just go out there to compete. When you go into a big tournament like the WTA Finals and you’re relaxed and confident, good things can happen.”
What Tracy Austin really likes about Coco Gauff
Gauff won’t play now until the WTA Finals, which take place in Riyadh next month, with the defence of her title firmly in her sights.
It’s easy to forget just how young she still is after bursting onto the scene at Wimbledon, with Gauff beating Venus Williams aged 15.
Gauff does have some imperfections but the fact that she’s always striving for that winning formula is something that Austin is a huge fan of.
She said: “I think Coco does a great job in the fall of taking the pressure off of herself.
“Three different seasons she’s taken on a new coach, added a coach at this time of the year and tries to work on different elements of her game.
“She always talks about trying to work on her game and reset before the next season starts, and I really like that.
“Just like last year, she’s won a title just before the fall, just before she went on to win the WTA Finals and Coco in the final against Pegula in Wuhan, she was down 5-3 in that second set and was able to take four games in a row, and that must have felt great.
“They’re such great friends, it must be difficult, but that must be a great feeling to win her second title of the season after Roland Garros.”
Once the WTA Finals are out of the way, focus will turn towards next year, and it will be fascinating to see if Gauff can truly tackle her demons on serve.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
