Global No. 3 In the opening round of the ASB Classic in Auckland, Coco Gauff triumphed over Claire Liu 6-4, 6-2 to start her 2024 campaign. In a nearly hour-and-a-half-long match, Gauff broke the record five times and won 72% of the points behind her own first serve and 53% behind her second. Gauff’s opponent in the second round is Brenda Fruhvirtova. In the opening round, the teenage Czechoslovak player completed a trifecta of historic victories by defeating 48-ranked Anna Blinkova 7-5, 6-4. Fruhvirtova won her first-ever WTA Tour main draw, Top 100, and Top 50 rankings with this performance.
The perfect warm-up to Gauff’s first season as the current major champion, the 82-minute match. That can carry a big weight for a lot of players as they begin their follow-up season. Perhaps, if winning a Grand Slam had been Gauff’s main career goal. But to Gauff, New York was just a stopgap. From a young age, I have always had high aspirations for my career. I felt more confident that I could accomplish those goals after winning a Slam. My motivation hasn’t diminished in the slightest. Gauff was quoted by WTA as saying, “I probably feel even more motivated because the feeling I had at match point was a crazy feeling.”
After parting ways with coach Pere Riba after the China Open last year, Brad Gilbert will be joining Gauff at the Australian Open. When asked what she’s most excited about this year, Gauff sounded like a teenager ready for school to start. To be really honest, I was most excited to see my friends while they were on tour. During the off-season, I saw Jess. Since Chris Eubanks moved to Florida to practise, I’ve seen him a few times. Ben [Shelton] hasn’t been around since the US Open. I’m thrilled. We’re going to play a game of escape,” she declared. Of course, the tennis portion is thrilling as well. It’s going to be a lot of fun to win my first Slam as a Slam champion,” she continued.
Despite a challenging preseason in Florida, Gauff feels remarkably young. She credits her decision to participate in just two competitions after the US Open in 2017 for the extra bounce in her step.
Pre-seasons are different in that you essentially don’t play any girls until the very end. Therefore, when you’re playing with a group of guys, it can be difficult to evaluate your performance. However, being a Grand Slam winner didn’t really alter my training regimen. I continue to train as diligently as I did when I was attempting to complete a Grand Slam. I’m chasing my second one right now,” Gauff remarked.
