“Coco has untapped potential and can get to number one and most of all stay there.” Serena Williams’ childhood coach Rick Macci still believes the 20-year-old American sensation has the ability and talent to be at the top of the world rankings for a long time. Despite a disappointing exit from Melbourne last month, the Hall of Famer has backed Gauff to do better, going forward. And the 2024 WTA Finals champion also seems ready to move past her Australian Open exit. After having a bit of a time off with family, at her home in Florida last month, she’s getting ready to step on the court, again. But what’s her next destination?
The 2023 US Open winner took to her Instagram on Friday and shared a story. It featured an image of her being on the flight while sharing an update from Qatar. Yes, the World No.3 is now in Doha where she’s set to compete in the Qatar Open in February. But that’s not it. The Middle East swing will continue with another successive tournament, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Simply put, Coco will appear in back-to-back WTA 1000-level events in Qatar.
Gauff will step back onto the court in Doha after her quarterfinal loss in Melbourne. Playing against Spain’s Paula Badosa in the quarterfinal, the American couldn’t maintain the consistency that she was showing in her previous matches in the Australian Open. Badosa emerged as a better player in their face-off as she ousted Gauff with a score line of 7-5, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena.
However, Gauff is in no mood to dewll too much on her disappointing run down under. In fact, she’s still very confident of an amazing season going forward. The 2022 French Open finalist made it evident while reacting after her unexpected loss in Australia. So what did she say about her campaign?
Coco Gauff is as focused as ever despite Australian Open heartbreak
After being a semifinalist in Melbourne last year, it was surely a sad moment for Coco Gauff to exit at the QF stage this time. But Gauff‘s confidence is still sky-high as she is confident about her playing style. Despite her defeat against Badosa in Melbourne, she wasn’t completely dejected. “I’m not crushed, but obviously it does feel bad when you feel like you’re playing great tennis for the better start of this year to lose, but it is what it is,” Gauff said, as reported by WTA’s website on January 21.
Reflecting on her performance further, she added, “I have to be aggressive,” while adding “I feel like that’s when I’m playing my best. That’s how I won most of the matches so far the last few months is by playing aggressive. I think it’s just being more comfortable with that.”
Taking positives out of her campaign down under, Gauff remarked, “So there’s a lot of things to be proud of, a lot of things to look forward to.” Meanwhile, she also hoped to do better in 2025 moving forward. “We’ll get back to work.”
Coco Gauff’s fans will expect the youngster to start dominating on the court again, as she gets ready to compete in the Middle East swing. As of now though, it’s not confirmed who will be her first-round opponent at the Qatar Open. Last season, Gauff couldn’t create any magic at the event after crashing out in the first stage. Czechia’s Katerina Siniakova beat her 6-2, 6-4. What are your thoughts on her prospects this season? Will Coco Gauff pull off a title win? Let us know in the comments below.
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