Coco Gauff suffered a painful loss in the French Open final, but 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert ranked the 18-year-old ahead of Emma Raducanu in her recent remarks.
Gauff and Raducanu had very contrasting French Open campaigns. While the American was the runner-up, Raducanu crashed out in the first round 6-3 1-6 1-6 to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The finalist at Roland-Garros has also been more consistent over an extended period. Her constant appearances at Grand Slams since breaking through at Wimbledon in 2019 as a 15-year-old demonstrate this.
However, Raducanu won the US Open in 2021. Some would argue that the Briton's Grand Slam title puts her ahead of Gauff despite the 18-year-old's impressive achievements to date. Raducanu's run was certainly one of the most incredible moments in tennis in recent years.
But Evert is not someone who believes that. The Eurosport analyst made her case for her compatriot being not only ahead of Gauff but also the best of her age group.
“I mean Raducanu had an unbelievable US Open but I think she’s been struggling ever since then and I think it’s going to be a while if she wins another one. But I think Coco is the best of that young group and I think she’s been doing everything the correct way."
Evert believes that Gauff's consistency will pay off in the long run. Gauff is doing things the right way, and it is tough to see how she will not end up winning multiple Grand Slams with her ability.
The 18-time major champion also described how close she feels Gauff is to making a huge breakthrough in her career, comparing her career to a stairway to heaven.
“I would say her career is like the stairway to heaven right now and she’s on the top step because she’s reached a final."