Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has outlined why she thinks Coco Gauff can become the world No. 1 in singles.
Navratilova recently spoke about Jessica Pegula. She believes this year's Guadalajara Open champion needs to develop a weapon in her game to challenge for one of the Grand Slams.
Pegula's doubles partner, Gauff, made progress in 2022. She reached a maiden Grand Slam singles final at the French Open, losing to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The teenager also qualified for the WTA Finals and finished inside the Top 10.
Gauff's progress was not confined to singles. The American became the world No. 1 in doubles after an excellent season with Pegula that included winning the Canadian Open and finishing as the runner-up at the French Open.
Those achievements led to Gauff being nominated for the 2022 WTA Player of the Year. Unsurprisingly, Swiatek won the award, but being among the six nominees still demonstrated Gauff's progress.
Expectations of Gauff will be even higher in 2023. She has had to manage that since breaking through at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships as a 15-year-old, but making her first Grand Slam singles final means even more will be expected.
Speaking to the WTA, Navratilova explained why she is confident that Gauff can reach No. 1 in the future and mentioned an area in her game that can be improved to make this more likely.
"Her serve has gotten better. Getting to the finals of the French, I think she has the best game for all surfaces. So with her, just get some clarity on that forehand and she’s home free. She could make another jump. I’d put more money on her to one day take over the No.1 spot than anyone else."
It will be fascinating to watch Gauff's development in 2023. However, regardless of her results next season, she still has much time to improve.
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