Coco Gauff qualified for the 2022 WTA Finals, becoming the youngest player to do so since Maria Sharapova in 2005. This was more than she had hoped for at the start of the season.
Despite being just 17 years old at the start of 2022, many sections of the media still placed much pressure on Gauff's shoulders ahead of the new season. Expectations of her have been very high since she broke through as a 15-year-old at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, reaching the fourth round.
However, she has broken new ground this season. Gauff reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the French Open. Iga Swiatek won the 35th match of her incredible 37-match winning run earlier this year to beat the American in the final.
Although Gauff has improved this year, Swiatek remains a problematic matchup. The teenager admitted she found it hard to play the Pole after another defeat at the San Diego Open, discussing how the world No. 1 makes opponents go for too much.
Gauff is also one of the best doubles players in the world. She and Jessica Pegula reached the women's doubles final at the French Open, and Gauff became the No. 1 doubles player in the world after the pair won the Canadian Open title.
Pegula and Gauff had already qualified for the doubles, but the young star has also officially qualified for the singles. She discussed how much that meant to her after the news became official.
“It means a lot. Honestly I didn’t think about it until I realised how close I was and I think I went maybe a little bit nervous in the end but I’m super excited to be playing in the WTA Finals, especially in the USA, and qualifying in singles and doubles is definitely a good achievement."
“I didn’t expect that when I set my goals at the beginning of the year. I’m really happy and I hope I can do a good performance there.”