Coco Gauff is one of the most inspirational players on the WTA Tour, and this year she managed to win a second Grand Slam title.
Gauff riled Aryna Sabalenka by beating her in the French Open final, and recently she added the Wuhan Open to her collection of titles, too.
Despite the American’s brilliance, she just can’t seem to escape critique.
Gauff’s serve has come under scrutiny, and although that is something for her to work on, people often forget just how much the 21-year-old has done despite her tender years.
Lindsay Davenport has defended Gauff recently, and despite her age, she’s already managed to win two Grand Slams and reach another final.
The one final she didn’t win was actually her first at a major when she contested the 2022 French Open final against Iga Swiatek.
After that match, she claimed there was something she really wanted to do, and as of yet, she’s not had the chance.
What Coco Gauff said she hoped to do to Iga Swiatek after 2022 French Open
For Gauff to reach the final in her third-ever attempt at Roland Garros was very impressive.
The clay-court Grand Slam is notoriously tricky for some players, and Gauff had been beaten in the second round on her first visit to the Paris major.
Gauff reached the quarters in 2021 and then went to the final the year later, where she came up against Swiatek, who is a master on clay.
She thrashed a teenage Gauff 6-1, 6-3 but the American was emphatic in her press conference after the match and made a promise if they met again.
She said in her press conference: “Probably not. I mean, I don’t think I have played – I mean, actually, her and Ash were — well, now Ash (Barty) isn’t playing anymore – but when she was, I would say those two are probably the two that when you go into the match, they are the hardest to beat.
But I’m grateful to play both of them, because I feel like throughout my career and even in juniors, the reason I had success so early is that I was able to see that level and then go back and practice and try to reach that level.
Now that I have seen the level, this level of No. 1 and 35 matches, I know what I have to do. Hopefully next time I’m sure I’m going to play her in another final and hopefully it’s a different result.”
As of yet, Gauff hasn’t had the chance to meet Swiatek in a Grand Slam final but based on these comments, it would seem that one day she hopes to.
Gauff can dominate the ATP Tour if she perfects her serve
It’s imperative that Gauff gets her service game sorted out, and if she does, there is serious potential for her to compete with Sabalenka at the top of the charts.
Gauff could actually use Sabalenka as inspiration, given that she struggled to get her service game going back in 2022.
Gauff could perhaps be going deeper in major tournaments more frequently, but to win two in a competitive era by 21 is still impressive.
Likewise, Swiatek has proved to be a machine at times this year, and she will also be in search of more major titles when 2026 gets underway.
Based on her comments from 2022, it would appear that Gauff can’t wait until the day comes when she can lock horns on the biggest stage once again with Swiatek.
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