'Unlucky' Gauff 'Still Has A Lot To Play For' In 2024 According To Her Coach
WTA
Coco Gauff might not have the type of year she had hoped to have, but her coach, Brad Gilbert, isn't worried about it because there is still plenty to play for.
Tennis is a very reactionary sport in the sense that it's easy to forget what happened months ago and focus on what is now. Looking at Gauff's season that way, there are plenty of faults with it.
She just played at the Paris Olympics, missing out on a medal. She arrived in the French capital as the second favorite behind Iga Swiatek, and losing to Donna Vekic in the way she did was certainly below her expectations.
Her forehand let her down again, which in turn sparked a conversation about how big of an issue that is. It also created this narrative of an unsuccessful season, but has it been that way? Not quite.
The American started the season with a really strong performance winning the trophy in Auckland. She made the Australian Open semi-final and then the Indian Wells semi-final.
Not making the final or winning a trophy isn't something that she was looking for, but those are still very good results. Two semi-final losses to Swiatek in Rome and Paris are also notable outings.
She won the doubles at the French Open and played relatively well in the past few weeks. Therefore, it has not been a bad season by any mark. She didn't win too much, but she was close, and as her coach Gilbert explained in a recent interview with TennisONE, there were some unlucky losses.
However, it's not the end of the world for the 20-year-old because there is plenty more to play for. There is the Canadian Open, then the Cincinnati Open, and then the US Open, two of which she won last year.
"She's been a little bit unlucky. Lost a couple of close matches and a few semis this year. You know what, as a tennis player and as a coach, the year is still going. There is a lot more to play for."
"The most important event is the one next week. First, it's Toronto, and then it's Cincinnati, and then the US Open. It's a good time for Coco and there is plenty of time to do some good things for Coco."
Much of how her season will be assessed depends on the next few weeks. If she plays the way she did last year and achieves similar results, then it will be certainly a good season.
If she doesn't, then reactions could be a bit different. But at the end of the day, it's up to Gauff to perform as best as she can.
