Given everything she’s already accomplished in her young career – and the weight of expectations she carries as a rising tennis superstar – it’s sometimes easy to forget that Coco Gauff is still only 20 years old.
Heading into the Australian Open, which takes place from January 12 to 26, the American is in the form of her life.
After winning the prestigious end-of-season WTA finals in November for the first time, Gauff started 2025 with an undefeated week in both singles and doubles to lead the United States to a second United Cup title in Australia.
And above all, she seems to have ended her Iga Swiątek bad luck; Gauff won just one of her first 12 matches against the Pole on tour, but has now scored back-to-back victories against Świątek in the WTA Finals and United Cup.
Gauff hired renowned grip specialist Matt Daly as his new coach in September after parting ways with Brad Gilbert and significantly improved his forehand and serve, two shots that had at times contributed to a poor run of results this season last.
The 2023 US Open champion, currently world number 3, said at the Wuhan Open in October that “there were changes” in her grip – and she is already reaping the rewards of that work.
Eurosport tennis expert and former professional Laura Robson said the changes to Gauff’s grip had “transformed her game”.
She added: “With the forehand, it doesn’t collapse like it used to and it doesn’t look like a weakness anymore and she’s so hard to pass because her movement is the best in a match.
“I would say Coco is all of a sudden, from where she was in the summer at the US Open, a completely different player and now among the favorites for a grand slam title.”
Of course, the sample size for its new grip is small and it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the course of a season against a variety of conditions, surfaces and opponents, but its early successes have led bookmakers to insert Gauff in second position. favorite to win the Australian Open ahead of Świątek and just below the two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
“We talk a lot about Coco Gauff and her serve and her forehand, where is she going to go? Should she play aggressive tennis? Should she be scrappy and get the ball and play? » Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Mats Wilander told Eurosport.
“Obviously there has to be a combination of both, but I think we don’t understand Coco Gauff’s physical ability; she’s a fantastic athlete. She’s one of the best female athletes in the world in any sport, and she’s obviously one of the best tennis players in the world, if not maybe the best around.
Gauff earned a tricky first-round draw against compatriot and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, but if she gets some momentum behind her, expect to see the young American shine in Melbourne.
Świątek and Sabalenka
If Gauff doesn’t win her first Australian Open crown, then it’s hard to see another player beyond world No. 1 Sabalenka or No. 2. Swiątek In winning the title, such is the dominance of the top three on tour.
But Sabalenka remains the favorite for a reason. The two-time defending champion is aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.
His precision and relentless power are particularly potent weapons on the hard, fast courts Down Under and will provide the sternest test yet of Gauff’s new forehand grip if the two meet in the semi-final.
It’s the first time in her career that Sabalenka, who also has a tricky first-round draw against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, has entered a grand slam as the top seed after recently taking first place in the Świątek ranking.
After not losing a set en route to defending her title last year, Sabalenka is once again undoubtedly the player to beat in Australia.
“Sabalenka is a slight favorite in my eyes. She is truly a hard court specialist, who has a good chance of winning, even on clay and grass,” Wilander said.
Even though the fast conditions of Melbourne are not Świątek’s preferred surface, she will undoubtedly remain a threat at the Australian Open.
The five-time Grand Slam champion from the Netherlands’ best performance came when she reached the semi-finals in 2022, but she has not progressed past the fourth round in all her other attempts.
The end of Świątek’s 2024 season was disrupted by a one month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said it found that “Świątek’s level of misconduct was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence'” and has accepted his explanation that the positive test was “caused by contamination”. of a regulated medicine without a prescription.
As a result, Świątek missed three tournaments and had to forfeit the ranking points and prize money she won at the Cincinnati Open, leading Sabalenka to overtake her as world No. 1.
“I think Iga is probably full of revenge for many reasons – the biggest being that she lost her No.1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka,” Wilander told Eurosport. “She has a new trainer (Wim Fissette) in her corner. She won’t always be the best player in the world, but she will be knocking on the door of the No. 1 ranking for at least five more years.
“She’s too serious. She’s so good. It is too complete. Yes, she has a problem against some of the big hitters on the women’s tour, but so does everyone else. Few things will change her mindset or her drive, or her ambition and motivation to be the best version of herself every day she steps on the field.
“It’s not the perfect conditions for Iga Świątek, but at the same time you have to be fit, you have to be ready to go and she is always ready to go. I think she will have a good tournament; she is not one of the favorites to win it, but she could certainly surprise and win the Australian Open.
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