Coco Gauff has proven to be a versatile player. She adapts her playing style easily depending on who she plays against. Her defense is outstanding and essentially won her the US Open final in 2023 against hard hitter Sabalenka.
Sabalenka sent her to each corner of the baseline with some powerful shots. Somehow Gauff managed to send it all back and win her first grand slam title on home soil.
Her attacking skills are also not to be underestimated as she is not afraid of going for a winner as soon as she gets a ball above her elbow height.
One of Gauff’s big assets is her serve. Thanks to her fast and often well-placed serve Gauff can definitely be seen as one of the best servers on the WTA tour.
She’s not up there with Rybakina and Sabalenka yet. But given her height, it’s pretty impressive that Gauff is even competing with them in terms of serve speed. Her second serve, however, could probably use some work as it often looks less confident and more unstable.
But the shot that Gauff’s fans are hoping to see her improve on most, is her forehand.
She has shown her strength and power with her serve and her world-class backhand but her forehand is just not on that level yet. According to many, her preparation is too long and gives opponents time to get back into the rally.
A fast ball towards her forehand could put her in trouble since she often doesn’t have enough time to prepare.
It’s definitely something she needs to work on if she wants to be successful on fast hardcourts and grass courts.
This is beautifully illustrated by the fact that, at this time, she has reached at least the final of Roland Garros and the US Open. Yet hasn’t managed to get past the 4th round in the two grand slams on faster courts.
The last thing to be said about her forehand is the speed factor. Gauff manages to fire off laser-like backhands and serves, but with her forehand, she just can’t generate the same amount of power. It’s surely just a matter of time before she manages to adapt her technique. By developing her forehand she will definitely improve massively as an overall player.
On top of that, Gauff is still only 19 years old and she has a lot of time to make changes and adapt to a new playing style.
Given the fact that Gauff has also been successful as a doubles player, it’s no surprise she has good hands at the net. With her partner Jessica Pegula, she has managed to win 8 doubles titles and has been the runner-up in two grand slam finals.
Her speed and ability to cover the court quickly help her get to the net where she can finish points easily. Her net playing abilities give her a big advantage over more one-dimensional baseliners in the WTA tour.
Gauff was born on March 13, 2004. As a daughter of two college athletes, she rolls into the sport of tennis at the young age of 6.
At 10 years old, Gauff started playing at the Mouratoglou Academy in France where she immediately impressed Mouratoglou who in an interview said:
“I’ll always remember the first time I saw Coco. She came over to the Mouratoglou Academy in 2014 to try out and she impressed me with her determination, athleticism, and fighting spirit….
When she looks at you and tells you she will be number one, you can only believe it.”
In her junior grand slam debut, she immediately reached the final in which she lost against Anisimova. Later, she managed to win the junior Roland Garros title.
Gauff had her breakthrough moment in 2018 when she became the youngest player to reach the main draw of Wimbledon at the age of 15 years old.
In the same tournament, she beat none other than Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion.
Fast forward five years later, Coco Gauff is a WTA 500, WTA 1000, and Grand Slam winner and it seems like she is just getting started. Gauff is also a great doubles player and is currently number one on the WTA doubles ranking.
Gauff has already come so far at such a young age. It’s going to be very interesting to see where she will rank at the end of her career. She already is a grand slam winner and probably hasn’t even reached her ceiling yet since her forehand and second serve are still a work in progress.
It’s easy to believe that once she sorts these things out she will be (even more) unstoppable and might leave the same mark as Justine Henin or Martina Hingis.
One thing Gauff has worked on tremendously in past years is her game plan. In her first years on tour, you often saw her being too passive, giving many opportunities to her opponents. Or being unnecessarily aggressive with her forehand which resulted in lots of unforced errors.
Lately, her play has been more balanced and she seems to have a clear plan in mind every time she steps on court. Gauff definitely knows she still has some improvements to make. At the same time, she is ready to put in the work in order to make those changes.
Gauff has already been able to play on the biggest stages and has performed well while being under pressure.
She has shown she’s able to make big performances in the big moments. That is not a given for everyone. Many young players who have not experienced the pressure situations for themselves wilt under the tension.
Coco handles those pressure points extremely well and plays maturely from beginning to end. Just look at her Grand Slam winning match point against Sabalenka for example.
Gauff kept playing the point patiently, didn’t try to rush it, and calmly ended the match with her beautiful backhand.
Coco Gauff is now, at 19 years of age, a one-time grand slam winner and the number 3 in the world. There is no doubt that she can improve both those numbers in the long career that lies ahead of her.
that’s, of course, if she improves her forehand and stays fit. She has already achieved most of the big titles a tennis player could wish for.
The question is more about how many will she be able to win in the future.
Becoming world number one is probably only a matter of time. Winning on the faster surfaces of Wimbledon or the Australian Open is probably the biggest challenge in front of her. Another challenge comes in the form of the Olympics.
In 2024 the Olympics will take place on the claycourts of Paris giving her a real shot at a first Olympic title.
Winning Roland Garros or taking another US Open title will probably be manageable for the young American in the next few years.
Usually, it’s good to be careful with these kind of predictions. Yet, in this case, the necessary talent and consistency are just so clear there seems no way Gauff will not meet the high expectations of tennis fans.
And singles aside, it’s likely Gauff will also reach more success in doubles if she stays partnered with Jessica Pegula.
Gauff comes across as a very friendly person. She always smiles and laughs during press moments and is very well-spoken, especially given her young age. She showed this during her inspiring US Open winner’s speech where she gave some very empowering quotes:
“I don’t pray for results. I ask that I get the strength to give it my all” and “ to those who thought they were putting water on my fire you were really putting gas to it” referring to the people who doubted her in the past.
Coco Gauff is a fighter. She has a lot of passion for the game but rarely shows bad behavior on court.
She has a lot of respect for her opponents and makes sure to give credit to them whether she wins or loses. Her attitude will definitely help her stay grounded and hard-working in the future.
Though she wasn’t always the hardest worker in the past she admitted in an interview:
“I loved tennis. I was so-so about it in the beginning because when I was younger I didn’t want to practice at all. I just wanted to play with my friends.”
A big difference from the hard-working player she is today.
