What Chris Evert claimed about Emma Raducanu after Coco Gauff won her first ever Grand Slam title

Follow us on Google Discover

Coco Gauff took the sporting world by storm in 2023 when she won her first Grand Slam title.

At 19, Gauff became the first American teenager to win the US Open since her legendary compatriot, Serena Williams, did so in 1999.

As the sixth seed that year, she overcame the likes of Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Muchova, and Aryna Sabalenka en route to hoisting the trophy.

Following a number of quarterfinal finishes and a near miss in the 2022 Roland Garros final, Gauff finally got her hands on one of the four biggest prizes in tennis.

After her victory, 18-time major champion Chris Evert said the young star benefited from something that 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu did not.

Chris Evert’s reaction to Coco Gauff winning the 2023 US Open

Raducanu made history that year, breaking a number of records with her unforeseen triumph at Flushing Meadows.

The Briton became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam, and did not drop a set throughout the entirety of her campaign in New York.

She also became the first British woman to win a major since Virginia Wade in 1977, and the second player to win the US Open on her tournament debut, following Bianca Andreescu in 2019.

At 18 years of age, Raducanu was the youngest major champion since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2004, which Evert suggested may have hindered her development.

As per the Telegraph, after Gauff won the 2023 US Open, Evert said: “I am glad Coco Gauff did not win as a younger teenager because it can be a bad thing for players.

“There are examples of that. Look at Emma Raducanu. It puts a lot of pressure on the player because they are not emotionally developed yet, and they cannot handle it. Coco is now ready to win.”

Emma Raducanu’s results at majors since winning the US Open

After winning the US Open in 2021, Evert’s words have held true in regards to Raducanu, with the 23-year-old still yet to follow up on her maiden victory.

In fact, Raducanu’s best result at a Grand Slam since then has only been a fourth-round finish, which she managed at Wimbledon in 2024.

Raducanu has suffered several early exits on the biggest stages and only went as far as the third round in 2025.

Gauff, on the other hand, has built upon her 2023 US Open title win and has gone on to win her second major at Roland Garros, as well as reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2024.

Raducanu has, however, had to deal with injuries which kept her out of action for much of 2023 and 2024.