“Still an upward trajectory,” Coco Gauff receives John McEnroe’s support for big performances in 2023
John McEnroe has stated his belief in Coco Gauff's ability to improve her game and win tournaments
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Coco Gauff and John McEnroe
Tennis legend John McEnroe believes that 18-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff can win “major titles’ if she makes the necessary improvements to her game. McEnroe said that certain things need to take place in terms of the teenager’s mentality and playing style for her to go all the way in tournaments.
McEnroe told Eurosport,” We’re all looking forward to seeing what happens with Coco Gauff, and looking at her career trajectory, it’s been great. It hasn’t happened as fast as some people think, but it’s still an upward trajectory. Okay, she didn’t have a great WTA Finals, but all in all, she made some great progress. She got to a French Open final, she has improved, obviously, she needs to improve more. She will – she’s 18.”
McEnroe further stated that he believes that former tennis player Chris Evert could provide Gauff with invaluable advice to help her make such improvements. He stated Evert’s experience in winning Grand Slams titles, she won 18 during her career, would be perfect for Gauff to learn from. He hoped the two could find time to work together. McEnroe also said that taking some pressure off Gauff and adopting a slower approach to her career would help her play at the top for longer.
Gauff and Evert have already interacted in the past with Evert calling the former “awesome on and off the court.” Evert was also complimentary of Gauff when she called for an end to gun violence in the USA at the 2022 French Open. On that occasion, Evert had said “can’t say enough wonderful superlatives about her [Gauff].”
Coco Gauff is currently ranked 7th in the WTA rankings. She first broke out in 2019 when she became the youngest player to reach the 4th round of Wimbledon. Gauff reached her career-high ranking of World Number 4 last year and currently has 8 titles to her name.
Related: WATCH: Coco Gauff makes a daring skyjump from Sky Tower Auckland to welcome 2023 in style
Coco Gauff’s 2022 season
Gauff had an eventful 2022 season. She had a disappointing start to the year as she crashed out of the Australian Open in the first round. Gauff picked her season up by winning the Qatar Open doubles title with Jessica Pegula.
She followed that by reaching the finals of both the singles and doubles formats at the French Open, her first at a Grand Slam tournament. Gauff broke into the top 5 of the doubles rankings and hit a career-high 13th rank despite losses in both matches. She struggled at Wimbledon, only making it to the third round.
Gauff had a historic year in the doubles format. She reached the World Number 1 ranking after winning the Canadian Open, again with Jessica Pegula. She also reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, her best performance at the Slam to date. Gauff will be looking to emulate her idols, the Williams sisters, and win a Grand Slam title herself. Her first chance to do that will come at the Australian Open, which begins on the 16th of January.
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Samarth Srivastava
(139 Articles Published)