Last season, Coco Gauff became a household name after she had some spectacular performances. The 15-year-old shocked the world when she defeated Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon. She became the youngest player to make it to the main draw of the competition. Gauff advanced to the fourth round where she was defeated by Simona Halep. The American teenager would go on to win her first WTA title at the Linz Open in October. Her performances have seen many pundits tip her to win a Grand Slam title in the near future. Many expect her to dominate the game like Serena Williams. However, one former player has urged fans to go slow on the hype surrounding the 15-year-old.
Gauff still has a lot to learn to be better
In a recent interview, former world number one Boris Becker said that although Gauff has plenty of promise, she still has a lot to learn in the game. The former German player won his first Grand Slam title at 17 years of age. He went on to win five more Grand Slams in his career. As a player who achieved success at a young age, Boris feels that Gauff could end up feeling pressured by people’s expectations. “People talk a lot about Coco Gauff and I think it’s a mistake because she is still very young. She still has to learn a lot to be better.” Boris also cautioned that the women’s game has a lot of young players which has made it very competitive. He highlighted Sofia Kenin’s recent victory at the Australian Open saying that, last year, everyone tipped Naomi Osaka to dominate after she won in Australia but the Japanese player has struggled to maintain her place at the top.
Serena’s pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam is a great story
Boris feels that fans and the media look for good stories when evaluating players instead of focusing on the player’s performance. The six-time Grand Slam champion said that the tennis world should be more attentive to the player’s consistency and performance over time. He said that Serena Williams was a good example and her pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam title was a good story for the media. “Serena coming back after becoming a mother is a big story. She did reach a couple of Grand Slam finals so she is one match away from a 24th major.”
Cori Gauff’s ranking and performance in 2020
At the moment ranked no.51 (career-high), Gauff played her last match on the 26th of January when she lost to Sofia Kenin 6-75 6-3 6-0 in the 4th round of the Australian Open.
Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently the world no.9, Serena played her last match on the 8th of February when she was overcome by Anastasija Sevastova 7-65 3-6 7-64 in the Rubber 4 in Fed Cup.
At the moment, this season the American has a 8-2 win-loss record. Serena Williams conquered 1 title in Auckland.
Cori Gauff and Serena Williams have never played each other.
