"Athleticism might not be enough, she needs a weapon" - Gauff advised after Australian Open exit

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Coco Gauff is known for her incredible speed and athleticism as well as her counter-punching style of play.

Although that brought her a lot of success so far, she may need to adjust her style to be able to win her first major. In the fourth round of the 2023 Australian, the 18-year-old American lost to heavy-hitting Jelena Ostapenko, and according to Mats Wilander, who spoke on the Eurosport show, Gauff may need to adapt to these players.

“I like it in a way because it shows she cares... but I would be more concerned with her tennis than her emotional state, she needs to come up with a weapon against these girls that she can absolutely smack the ball. Her athleticism might not be enough and her forehand might have to be shortened down a little bit.”

Mats Wilander
Gauff crashes out of Australian Open against inspired Ostapenko
Gauff crashes out of Australian Open against inspired Ostapenko

Former world no. 4, Tim Henman, agreed with the Swede, but also emphasized that Gauff is still very young and that she has a lot of room for improvement. Even if she doesn't win a Grand Slam this season, she can still win one as a teenager next year.

"There are definitely areas she can improve on but I see that as a positive. Wow, you’re this good and you’re only 18, and you’ve still got so many areas to improve on. She’s been in a Slam final now, for sure she wins Slams in the future and yeah it’s hard to watch, you feel sorry for her, but it shows how much she cares and she’s going to want to get better in the future.”

Tim Henman
2023 Australian Open ATP & WTA Prize Money & Points Overview - $76,500,000
2023 Australian Open ATP & WTA Prize Money & Points Overview - $76,500,000

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