Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes Cori “Coco” Gauff is ‘not that far away’ from winning a first Grand Slam title.
Gauff, the 16-year-old American, took the tennis world by storm at Wimbledon last year, becoming the youngest qualifier at the All England Club in the Open Era before beating Venus Williams en route to the fourth round.
In two of the three Grand Slam main draw events she’s played in, she has been beaten by the eventual champion – Simona Halep at Wimbledon and Sofia Kenin in this year’s Australian Open – while she became the youngest WTA title winner in 15 years when she downed former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in Linz.
Gauff, unsurprisingly, is being tipped for the top by most involved in the sport and Mouratoglou – whose academy the American trains out of – thinks she can go all the way at a major in the not-too-distant future.
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‘I could see Coco getting to the final and winning a Grand Slam,’ said Mouratoglou. ‘And I feel she is not that far away.
‘The match against Sofia Kenin in Melbourne showed Coco needs to improve yet. Of course she does.
‘She still plays at an incredible level and the self-belief she has is so strong that she can surprise and maybe win a Grand Slam.
‘The Australian Open is gone, but why not another one? Coco’s tennis is already big, she has a lot of things her game.
‘A big serve, unbelievable backhand, she does a lot of things – she is able to come to the net.
‘When it is a pressure point she is able to go for it. She will also play a return volley to put pressure on her opponents.
‘She already understands a lot of things in tennis but still it is not enough. There is still some space for her opponents to win the points. Definitely there is still room for improvement.’
There is one thing, in Mouratoglou’s view, that sets her apart from other young players trying to make their way in the sport.
‘Her maturity is incredible at 16,’ he adds. ‘That’s what stands out most for me.
‘The ways she handles matches, it’s really unique, but she is still only 16 and when you are only 16 you still have so many things you need to improve which is great.
‘The players she has beaten in the Slams – Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka – and making the second week of a Slam again after making the second week at Wimbledon.
‘At that age, having so much to improve, it says so much about her as a person.’
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