The US Open continued its mission of producing new champions in 2023, and this time it was Coco Gauff’s tale. This was a victory that had been heralded for years…
Many people remember the 2019 Wimbledon with its iconic Roger Federer-Novak Djokovic final. There is nothing strange about this. It is impossible to forget Federer, who challenged the best player in the world just days before his 38th birthday, and Djokovic, who won the championship by converting match points scored by his opponent on his own serve… But an important line in the story of the same tournament is now increasing its value. Because 15-year-old Coco Gauff shocked the tennis world by eliminating five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, and then advanced to the fourth round with her victories. The young star, whose idols were Serena and Venus, was making a great impression in her first senior exam.
While big dreams were being made for Gauff, who won the first championship of her career at the Linz Open tournament in the same year, there were also some obvious question marks. The competitive world of professional tennis was cutthroat. We have witnessed how difficult it is for rackets, especially those who became famous at a young age, to cope with this. One of the names that comes to mind immediately is Jennifer Capriati. The American tennis player, one of the unforgettable child stars in WTA history, is remembered for her premature successes and the personal problems she experienced afterwards. Although Capriati was an extreme example, it was difficult to predict how a teenager would react to being in the spotlight when he was still a teenager. It is undeniable that Coco is a success story in this sense.
After making her debut at the age of 15 and being heralded as the “future of US tennis”, Gauff’s growth could be taught in books. So much so that it can be said that Corey and Candy Gauff, whose parents both played sports at the collegiate level, have a very consistent approach. Corey Gauff said, “We knew exactly what path Coco had to go through to become better” and explained that his primary goal was to ensure his daughter’s discipline and happiness. But like many other family coaches, he was able to step back at some point and leave the job to the professionals.
Don’t get me wrong, until the 2023 season, Coco Gauff had a very respectable career considering her age. She has improved in the rankings every year, won several WTA tournaments and even reached the final at Roland Garros in 2022. Still, she looked like she needed a push to take the next step. After losing Wimbledon in the first round two months ago, she decided to change her team. She first signed with former Spanish tennis player Pere Riba and then with experienced coach Brad Gilbert. Gilbert was one of the most masterful tacticians tennis has ever seen, and his additions to Gauff’s defense-first style of play were critical.
