Coco Gauff is set to be one of the hot favourites for Roland Garros this year, and with good reason.
After all, she has enjoyed another solid clay-court season, and could cap it off with a title in the Italian Open final on Saturday.
However, if she is to claim another Grand Slam title, the 21-year-old will definitely have to dig deep.
Tracy Austin, one of America’s greatest-ever tennis exports, has actually outlined another potential competitor set to push her, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka for the crown.
Tracy Austin critiques one area of Coco Gauff’s game
Speaking to Tennis Channel during their live watch-along of Mirra Andreeva’s win over Clara Tauson, the panel utilised their time with the Hall of Famer well.
After all, they peppered her with questions about her illustrious past within the sport, as well as picking her brains on some of tennis’ brightest contemporary stars.
Naturally, Coco Gauff‘s name cropped up, with Austin actually inserting her into the conversation to challenge for the French Open.
However, she started by acknowledging Andreeva’s credentials and capability of winning the event, with attention then returning to her compatriot: ‘I think Coco Gauff [to challenge for RG] first of all as well. I think Coco has really changed the dynamic and the conversation since Madrid.’
She then picked back up where she left off, but this time with a critique: ’I think it all comes down to the forehand. That’s the tipping point shot. When she is backing up on her forehand, your racket head has to be squared up for contact. When she’s backing up it kind of opens it and it’s hard to manipulate with your hand. It’s just a more defensive position.
‘When Coco’s stepping in and finding the right balance, finding the right contact point on the forehand, she’s offensive, dictating play.
‘Even more than the serve now it comes down to the forehand.’
Coco Gauff faces Jasmine Paolini in Italian Open final
Whilst there have been some rather obvious holes in Gauff’s game of late, the manner in which she has been able to offset them with quality elsewhere is admirable.
In fact, despite a misfiring forehand and a very unpredictable serve, she somehow came out the other end of a marathon match on Thursday night. Gauff’s win over Qinwen Zheng in Rome made history for the length, finishing after three hours and 14 minutes.
However, she faces a completely different task in the final, with last year’s French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini standing between her and another Masters 1000 title.
There is no denying that whoever claims the crown is sure to be regarded as one of the favourites for this year’s iteration of the Parisian Grand Slam, but the American must certainly find a way to solve these issues before proceedings get underway in the French capital.
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