Coco Gauff won the biggest title of her tennis career last year at the US Open, and now is the time to defend it.
Crazy as it sounds, it has been almost full 12 months since the young American delighted the crowd at Flushing Meadows and held the winners' trophy high above her head.
Almost 12 months later, and she managed to improve her career-high ranking, reaching the World No. 2 position on the WTA Tour, and she also managed to add another title to her collection, at the 2024 ASB Open in Auckland.
However, it wouldn't be too harsh to say that the past 12 months haven't been as successful as maybe Gauff and her fans expected, as she couldn't back up the huge expectations that came after her sensational run last year.
She first won the Citi Open in Washington, then also triumphed at the Cincinnati Open, and everything culminated with Gauff's victory at the US Open.
This year, she didn't compete at the Citi Open, because she represented her country at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she lost in the third round. She then lost in the third round of the Canadian Open and in her first match in Cincinnati.
That means, that unlike last year, when she was coming to the US Open with one loss in her last 11 matches played, this year, she will enter the last major of the season with one win in her last four matches.
Ahead of the tournament, John McEnroe discussed Gauff's chances during a press conference for ESPN, and the former American great thinks that his compatriot is excited to defend her title, even though she is likely not happy with her results coming into the tournament.
"She’s excited to be defending her title. She’s also sort of bewildered about some of the results. I think the pressure of expectation hits all the top players. She won the US Open."
Another thing that Gauff will have to deal with are expectations. She is already a Grand Slam champion, and in the case of this year's US Open, a defending champion, and everyone, including her and her team, expects more.
"It gets more difficult in a lot of ways ’cause you got people coming after you, you’re a bigger win. Everyone in their camp expects more. She expects more."
However, McEnroe sees also another factor. Every player that played at the French Open, then made the transition to grass for Wimbledon, and returned to the clay courts at Roland Garros will have to face certain struggles, both physical and emotional, which may open the door for the 20-year-old player.
"To look at all the players that played at the Olympics, they’re struggling to sort of make that transition back onto the hard courts. They’re fatigued. There’s a lot of emotion at the Wimbledon, the French."
"To go from the clay at French, to go to Wimbledon, to go back to the clay, then to the hard courts, that adds up especially for the players that are feeling pressure. They have high hopes, which is where Coco fits in."
According to McEnroe, Gauff will be the second or third biggest favorite at the 2024 US Open, alongside Iga Swiatek. The 65-year-old suggested that Elena Rybakina, who would be usually among the top favorites, also didn't have good results this year, and that the women's draw will be wide open.
"She’s still the second or third favorite to win this. You might even put her in level tournaments in terms of Swiatek. Rybakina, she hasn’t had the results. Sabalenka has been hurt, then she’s now just won Cincinnati."
"It is a lot wider open, and something unexpected could happen, particularly with all the emotions and fatigue that are happening. Having said all of that, she’s still the second or third favorite."