Congratulations Coco Gauff – Unstoppable US Open Champion!! This was your moment, the first of many more to come. You have arrived! Let’s take a look at the key takeaways:
Heart of a Champion
Coco Gauff, throughout this tournament, you showed the heart of a champion. You had to win multiple 3-set matches. You had to defeat the #1 player in the world (on Monday). You did it coming back from a set down. You showed the resolve, ability to dig deep, and the never-say-die attitude of a champion. This is the intangible of greatness and you have it!
Impenetrable
Your speed and defense are impenetrable. You run down everything. You faced the most powerful player in the women’s game and put up a brick wall that could not be pierced. It was more than just “get the ball back.” There was a consistent quality to the return that forced Sabalenka to come up with great shot after great shot. Had you retrieved and dropped every ball short inside the baseline, Sabalenka would have had more options and easier winners. By the end, you’d pulled away. Sabalenka looked exasperated. It was clear she had no path to breakthrough.
Rest of the World Chasing Coco
With wins over Swiatek and now Sabalenka this summer, the top players are now chasing Coco. They must now figure out how to beat Coco. They cannot simply hit through her. She has learned how to leverage her greatest strength of speed and defense to thwart their power. I do not see the impenetrable wall Coco built against Sabalenka breaking down. Although Coco played great, I don’t think any would say she played beyond her level. In other words, she can do this again and again. Swiatek and Sabalenka must now incorporate more drop shots, improve at finishing at the net, and look for other strategies to overcome Coco’s defense.
Best is Yet to Come
Coco is just 19! She is now #3 in the world. She is a grand slam winner. She is a multiple time grand slam finalist on two different surfaces. She is a 1000 series winner. She has proven that she can beat the top players in the highest pressure moments. Her net game is better than average and she hardly used it against Sabalenka. She has the ability and firepower to hit winners and hardly used it against Sabalenka. When she combines all that her game can be with her world-class elite speed and defense, she will be unstoppable.
So what do you think of Coco Gauff – Unstoppable US Open Champion? Let’s talk tennis!
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