Coco Gauff had a terrible summer, and even though she might be disappointed at the moment, it might prove to be a blessing in disguise.
Last year, the young American experienced the best few months of her tennis career. She won the Citi Open in Washington, then triumphed at the Cincinnati Open and ended her nearly perfect summer with her first major title at the US Open.
This year was much, much different for Gauff. While she still played well at the Italian Open in Rome and the Roland Garros, she lost in the semi-finals of both tournaments to her nemesis, Iga Swiatek, who she still managed to beat only once in her tennis career.
Still, the semi-finals were great results for the youngster, who, at the time, reached the highest heights in her ranking on the WTA Tour, becoming the World No. 2 player.
But already during the grass-court part of the season, the 20-year-old started struggling. She lost in the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships to her compatriot Emma Navarro.
Unlike some players, like Aryna Sabalenka, she chose the grueling journey of returning to the clay courts for the Olympic Games in Paris.
Gauff had high hopes for the Olympics, entering all three tournaments—singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Yet, despite being the flag bearer for her country, she left the French capital without a medal.
In singles, she lost in the third round to Donna Vekic. In doubles, she and Jessica Pegula were beaten already in the second round. And with Taylor Fritz in the mixed doubles, the American duo couldn't make it past their second match, either.
Arriving with this type of form to the North American hard-court stretch, where she had to defend so many points, was far from ideal, and Gauff's worst dreams became reality.
She lost to Diana Shnaider in the third round of the Canadian Open. After that, she couldn't recover from her loss in Toronto, as she lost in her first match at the Cincinnati Open.
And even though her US Open campaign started well, it didn't end well. She delivered bagels to Varvara Gracheva and Tatjana Maria, her first two opponents, but then lost to compatriot Navarro, the same opponent she was beaten by in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
During this stretch, she lost 2,960 ranking points, dropped to the World No. 6 position from her career-high No. 2 rank, which she lost already in August, and certainly dropped in confidence as well.
Still, the loss might prove to be a blessing in disguise for the 2023 US Open champion, but how?
Gauff's Has A Chance To Become 'The Player'
Last year, Gauff lost in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships to Sofia Kenin. She called it the lowest moment of her tennis career and bounced back spectacularly.
With Brad Gilbert in her corner, the American started winning again. She had confidence in her game and kept beating one opponent after another. However, it wasn't because her game mysteriously became much better.
Funnily enough, Gilbert is the author of the popular book 'Winning Ugly,' and that's what Gauff was often doing. She was winning, but she was winning because of her incredible talent and athletic abilities.
'Winning ugly' is a popular term in sports, and while it might be effective in reaching the highest heights for a brief period, it's not sustainable over a long period, something Gauff needs as a 20-year-old player.
She doesn't need to win ugly. She must win because of her incredible shots, powerful serve, and quick legs. Andy Murray's former coach, Mark Petchey, explained that she was 'masking' her weaknesses with her incredible athletic ability, and she couldn't do that all the time.
That's also maybe one reason she chose to part ways with her coach, Gilbert, after the US Open disappointment, and this stretch might have given her a much-needed reality check.
Reaching the high of her tennis career was certainly deserved and great for her, but it was also important for her to realize that the biggest flaws in her game, her forehand and her serve in particular, need to be fixed for her to succeed every week.
That's why this summer might prove to be a blessing in disguise for Gauff. She might realize that 'winning ugly' is not the way to go. Instead, she might choose the longer but more effective road to success by fixing her game at the cost of some missed tournaments and dropped positions in the rankings.
At the end of the day, she already chose not to play at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, suggesting that she might want to have a longer off-season to address the issues in her game properly.
0 Comments