Last week, Jessica Pegula had a breakthrough. This week it’s Coco Gauff’s breakthrough in Cincinnati. Together, these two U.S. women have taken the title on the two biggest WTA 1000 crowns of the summer. Add in Coco’s Washington win and that’s a sweep of the last three. What an incredible summer thus far. Add in that both Coco and Jessie beat world number one, Iga Swiatek, on their way to the championship, and it’s clear that these two are now a force to be reckoned with and a threat to win the U.S. Open. But this post isn’t about Coco and Jessie. That will come another time. This one is about Coco.
Wow, has she arrived! Although all the credit goes to Coco, give a lot of kudos to Coco and team for expanding her coaching and bringing in Brad Gilbert. Aside from his stellar coaching career, I had the pleasure of watching him “win ugly” (if you didn’t know, Brad wrote the book “Winning Ugly”). What do you get when you take arguably the fastest, most athletic player on the tour, who has gotten into the top 10 and already made a major final under the age of 20, and help her to win a few more “ugly” points, grind it out a bit, show more patience, while keeping aggressive on her serve? You get a champion! Let’s get to the key takeaways in Coco Gauff’s breakthrough.
Not Even Near Her Ceiling
Let’s be clear. Coco is this good now AND will get better. The most important thing for Coco is to keep her passion. That’s why I preach patience. Let her get there at her own pace and enjoy it. The worst outcome is to see her burn out by pushing too fast. Coco today has a world-class backhand and unmatched speed and court-coverage. Her serve will get to the best in the game. Her volleys are solid and her transition game will improve. Her forehand will be a weapon. She showed mental toughness and fight this week worthy of a champion. I loved seeing her grind out points and force her opponents to hit through her. Her forehand was plenty steady and no one on the tour could hit enough winners to penetrate her defense. To summarize, watch out tennis world! Where will Coco be in a few years? Number one with multiple grand slams.
Finally Broke Through Against Iga
This one was important. Coming in, Coco against Iga was 0-7 in matches and 0-14 in sets with an average of 2.5 games per set. Beating the best and getting over that hump will be forever changing in terms of belief and future matches. This was a giant step. It’s not just that Coco won. It’s how she won. Iga held break leads in the first and third sets. Coco would not be denied. Coco never gave up. It was just impressive to watch. Well-done! I don’t want to minimize the Karolina Muchova match. Muchova put herself in position to challenge, but Coco just refused to allow it and always had an answer. Winning the title can’t be overstated, but beating Iga for the first time was a hurdle Coco had to overcome.
Legitimate Contender for U.S. Open
As a major finalist and top 10 player, it seems Coco already should have been considered a contender, but I admit to having reservations for this year. I’m on the patience train and felt Coco would need another year. I may still be right, but now Coco has to be considered. She’s not a “one-hit-wonder” who had a good run at major tournament. She’s a perennial top 10 player who has won three titles this year including a WTA 1000 series and beaten the number one player in the world.
Coco’s carrying an 11-1 record since Wimbledon. The time could be now and and she’s earned consideration. Lindsey Davenport put her as third favorite. It’s hard to argue with that. I’ll conclude with extending the legitimate contender label to future slams. Australian? Contender! French? Contender! Wimbledon? Well, we’ll see on grass, but you get my point. Coco is a contender for the next 10-15 years.
So what do you think of Coco Gauff’s breakthrough? Is her time for a slam title now in New York, or still in the future? Let me know your thoughts. Let’s talk tennis!
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