I don’t even understand tennis or its scoring, but I am blown away by this young woman’s talent!
And God knows, at this fraught moment, we desperately need some Good News!
Go for it, young lady!
4
Ms. Gauff has already beaten some very good players this week (& in her 1-year-plus career). I'm not sure if she is still growing, but it seems to me she may not have the physical tools to play the "big girls" tennis that often wins at the majors.
I would love to see Coco make the finals and even better than that win the trophy. For one so young she has a high tennis IQ and is so much fun to watch. She is a fighter on the court.
Coco needs to play one match at a time, play to win and just see what happens. Of course she has a possibility of winning a grand slam tournament. If not now, she may develop her game in the next few years to become a champion.
Capriati also excelled at tennis at age 15 but she didn't win her first major until 10 years later. Burnout and other troubles followed. Good luck.
Monica Seles won her first major tournament at age 16.
She had won 9 majors by age 19.
9 majors.
Anything is possible.
Coco has belief, great court coverage and her serve is becoming a weapon that rivals any player around.
Her tenacity on the court is as formidable as her fun off the court is delightful. Not to mention so graceful, thoughtful and humble in every interview.
She is hungry, focused and she's enjoying it.
Look out.
7
I've been watching Coco's match highlights, her press conferences, and her post match interviews and did the same after the US Open.
This girl (nay woman) is inspiring, and heartwarming. She has maturity and poise, and still displays the exuberance of the teenager that she is.
I can't help but get a little teary watching her be her, and I'm a 50+ year old guy.
She's a champion already.
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She's a thoroughbred. Lots of people have the talent and do the work, but don't always thrive under the spotlight. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but Coco is the real thing.
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Coco is destined to be a G.O.A.T, if she handle her losses well, learn from them and most importantly stays mentally strong.
Her game will improve organically, but she needs to show maturity mentally. We as sports fan are witnessing one of the greatest era of women's tennis.
Coco you inspire us! Best of Luck!
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@Dileep Thomas
"...greatest era of women's tennis."
Actually, if you've been following the WTA, in the past 2 years there have been more seeded players upset in major tournaments - compared to the men's ATP - than ever before, showing major inconsistency from the top players.
Osaka, the #3 seed, essentially had a meltdown against unseeded Gauff, constantly looking for help from her coaching box, and at one cross-over strangely hiding her head under a towel while Gauff calmly ate a banana.
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They are both very good players!
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Now she seems to be the real deal, the real future who is now present.
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One of the best things about this match was that you actually hear the ball being struck, hear it bounce. An occasional grunt for extra effort, and Coco urging herself on, but no Gawdawful shrieking.
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women can make whatever noise they like when they play, or for that matter when they do anything.
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I think we will be seeing these ladies battle it out for some time on the tour. And both should look over their shoulder.
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Tennis is a beautiful sport and when you are on court, it feels like a battle with yourself and your opponent. Osaka won last time and she was awesome. Gauff was overwhelmed and she played with fear. It was reflected in the scoreline. Ths time, Gauff knew what to expect and she played without fear. She got the win. Osaka's kindness and quirky sense of humor is admirable. Gauff's maturity and humility is inspiring. I love them both and hope they continue to do well and play without fear.
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Wonderful for the sport and for American tennis in particular and a well written piece. Come on American men........the ladies are showing the way.
11
"Coco is...fresh to the world of professional tennis."
Well, she won her first amateur national tournament at the age of 8. At that point both her parents quit their jobs and devoted their lives to Coco becoming a professional. At 10 Coco was training in Paris at the elite academy run by Serena's coach. She has financial backing by Roger Federer. Essentially, she has been groomed since childhood for this.
If she was a politician we would be very skeptical of this situation. But we have a media machine at work here. (Don't look behind the curtains...)
By the way, Chris Evert during the broadcast last night said Naomi Osaka bought a house in LA and is living there now. That's nice, since she just gave up her US citizenship to pursue more lucrative Japanese sponsorship deals as a Japanese citizen.
Heads spin 'round while these sports figures who are built up to be heroes, do their best building up their millions, leaving what it is to be heroic for others to define.
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@JohnBarleycorn
What is wrong with talent being encouraged? If she were a musical prodigy would it be all right? Is it the potential to make money? Because they are women?
And if they build up their millions, at least it will be their own hard work plus parental support that allowed it, not a $400 million inheritance and serial bankruptcies plus 16,000 lies and exaggerations and counting!
3
I’ve never been a fan of the single elimination format in tennis. Too many early upsets. Double elimination or else at least one round of round-robin group play.
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@Earl M That is exactly what makes the sport so challenging and exciting. Anyone can lose at any time. I've played competitively and it was by far more challenging and exhilarating than any other sport.
FWIW, the year end Masters does have round robin pool play, then elimination matches for the final four.
6
@Earl M In a 6-4/ 6-3 match, there are ca. 120 points played and a little over an hour with no long breaks such as halftime. A Men's match or a close Women's match can double- triple that. In a field of 64, the tournament would be endless with double-elimination. It's fine for a tennis club but the professional game takes its tole on the body. In my opinion, both men and women should play best of 3 sets (w/tie-breakers); the individual points mean more that way.
3
I am not a fan of tennis - but I am a fan of both Gauff and Osaka and am torn when it comes to cheering. They are both class acts and they have my deep admiration - may the best player, on the day, win . . .
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@PS I came here to say what you just said. Wonderful athletes both.
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