‘Set time away from the phone!’ Coco Gauff warns Emma Raducanu about the cons of social media

‘Set time away from the phone!’ Coco Gauff warns Emma Raducanu about the cons of social media

Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff

Over the last 2-3 years, the young generation has taken women’s tennis by a storm. Many players have emerged on the tour and have established themselves; be it Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Sofia Kenin or Maria Sakkari, every single youngster has proven their mettle time and again.

The latest entry on that list is Emma Raducanu. The Brit, who is just 18, became the first player in the tennis history to win a grand slam as a qualifier. Raducanu has shown immense potential and it will be interesting to see how she progresses further. However, the current youngest player in the top 25 of the WTA Rankings is Coco Gauff.

Gauff, who is currently 17, broke onto the tennis world as a 15 year old when she beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon. Ever since the, Gauff has produced consistent result at the highest levels and is only getting better with each passing day. Ahead of the Indian Wells, the American spoke to the media about Raducanu and advised her to set some time away from her phone. From her personal experience, Coco said that while social media could seem very attractive initially, it may prove it be overwhelming in the long run.

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“I don’t think she needs any – she has a slam and I don’t,” Coco said. “The only advice I would say is just set time away from the phone. It is exciting when you getting all the retweets and follows but it can be a bit overwhelming.”

She even said that to control herself, she has restricted her phone access. “I thought I was spending too much time on the phone, so I set a time limit on the phone. Access to the app is restricted from 8:30 am to 9:30 pm,” Gauff added.

Emma Raducanu to face Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round

Emma Raducanu vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich will clash at the Indian Wells 2021
Emma Raducanu and Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Playing her first tournament post her US Open triumph, Emma Raducanu enters the Indian Wells as the 17th seed. Raducanu has received a first round bye and will face Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round. Sasnovich beat María Camila Osorio Serrano in the first round in straight sets 6-0,6-4.

If she wins, Raducanu could face former World No.1 Simona Halep in the third round and multiple grand slam champion Petra Kvitova in the Round of 16. It will also be the first tournament where Raducanu won’t be an underdog. So it’ll be interesting to see how she copes up with the expectations.

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