Gauff's Success 'Taking A Bit Longer' May Benefit Her According To Sharapova

Friday, 29 September 2023 at 01:20

byEvita Mueller

Maria Sharapova knows what it's like to be a highly-touted teenager, but she thinks that Coco Gauff taking a bit longer to win her first Grand Slam will benefit the youngster.

There is no right way to have a tennis career, and everything is okay. Whether you broke out early and or took a long time like Stan Wawrinka did matters little. Both ways are okay, and for some, it's even a combination of long wait and youth.

Both Maria Sharapova and Coco Gauff have won a Grand Slam trophy. They were both teenagers when they did it, but the Russian thinks that Gauff doing it a bit later might actually be beneficial to her. Sharapova spoke about that in a recent appearance on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

Ya. I think her journey has been interesting. Because from the age of 16 she’s been the prospect and the target and everyone believed that she would get there. And it’s, perhaps I think from everyone’s expectations, it’s taken a little bit longer.

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But I think for her that may be helpful. Because it took a few years to figure it out as opposed to coming out on top from the very beginning and then just being so surprised by everything that comes your way.

It's an interesting perspective from Sharapova who had a quicker rise than Gauff, and perhaps that experience allows her to know that a lower rise might be better for a young player. She also added what it feels like to win a Grand Slam.

Look, does that mean that she’s gonna go out and win every single Grand Slam? This is sport, it never happens most of the time. You end up losing a few more than you win, but those wins are very special. I’m sure that she will handle the ups and downs brilliantly.