Will it click for Coco Gauff? Jonathan Overend believes the American world No 3 can have a great Australian Open and lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in Melbourne.Gauff, who begins her campaign against 55th-ranked Uzbek Kamilla Rakhimova on Monday, will bring plenty of swagger after her French Open win last year, her second major title after the US Open in 2023.
But the tenacious 21-year-old knows the next step is to deliver high-quality performances consistently as she aims to iron out continuous issues with her forehand and second serve through the help of a biomechanics coach.
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Gauff says she has used the panic attack she suffered during the first-set changeovers during her match against Donna Vekic at the US Open as a learning experience and expressed gratitude for all the support she has received since
The 21-year-old arrives with momentum from the United Cup, where she won three of four matches to help the United States reach the semi-finals of the mixed-team tournament.However, her serve remains a concern and she continues to produce too many double faults. The American has 28 so far this year already.
“I want to give it my all in each match,” she said. “I feel like that stemmed from my serve, having good days and really bad days. The more that stroke becomes more consistent, the more my results will become more consistent.”
The American could meet the legendary Venus Williams in the second round of the Australian Open although the seven-time Grand Slam winner is ranked down at No 576 in the world because of her limited time on the tour.
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Sky Sports Tennis Podcast spoke to Gauff, who said being world No1 ‘would be awesome’
They first played each other when Gauff was aged 15 at Wimbledon. A 6-4 6-4 victory saw the teenager announce herself to the world.But Gauff now has world…
2026-01-18 13:28:00
