As one of the rising young stars in the world of tennis, Coco Gauff is a media darling. The 15-year old American player performed well in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, earning a lot of fans in the process. But because of a WTA ruling, she will be unable to fully stretch her wings because she is not allowed to play more than 10 tournaments in the WTA Tour. This rule is applied to all players who are under 16.
Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who owns the French tennis academy that Gauff is training in, said that he is working on making sure that the women’s tennis governing body reconsiders the rule. He criticized the rule, saying that the rule should not apply to everybody because each young player is different. He even describes the rule as preventing young players from doing what they are good at.
He talked about how momentum is an important factor in playing tennis. By not allowing Gauff to participate in more tournaments in the WTA Tour, the body is slowing her down.
Cori Gauff and her match vs. Naomi Osaka at the US open
The young American entered a Grand Slam for the first time in July when she was given a wildcard to be part of the qualifiers. The 15-year old initiated an impressive run in the British tournament, even winning against one of her tennis idols, Venus Williams. Coco became the youngest player of a Wimbledon match since 1991 when Jennifer Capriati was 13.
While she eventually had to bow out after losing to eventual winner Simona Halep in their match in the fourth round, Gauff is already a certified star. Her third round face-off with Slovenian ace Polona Hercog became the most-watched match in Britain for the first five days of the tournament.
Cori’s incredible run in Wimbledon
In what is probably the most memorable moment in her young career so far, Gauff also clashed with U.S. Open defending champion and fellow young player Naomi Osaka in Flushing Meadows. The older player successfully triumphed over the 2017 US Open runner-up, with a 6-3 6-0 score.
The two young players shared a tender moment after their match. Osaka, who was in a post-match interview, invited Gauff over to join her, which shocked the latter. They know each other personally but the younger player confessed that they were not really close.
She said that during the moment she wanted to leave the court right away because she just lost. But the fact that Osaka was gracious enough to let her become part of her interview, it made the interview a special moment for the Gauff. She also admitted that they are now messaging each other more often.
Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.9, the American played her last match on the 7th of September when she had to bow to Bianca Vanessa Andreescu 6-3 7-5 in the final in U.S. Open.
Serena Williams’s best performance of this season was reaching the final in at the U.S. Open, Toronto and in Wimbledon.
Gauff in Linz, ranking, and results in 2019
Ranked no.110, the American has a 13-6 win-loss record in 2019. Gauff is playing at the moment in Linz where she toppled Liudmila Samsonova 6-710 6-2 6-2.
Gauff will compete against Korpatsch in the qualifications. They have never played each so far on the main tour.
Serena Williams and Cori Gauff have never played each other.
Serena Williams and Cori Gauff |
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