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Coco Gauff will be eager to bag her first Australian Open title during the next fortnight. After winning the 2023 US Open, the World No. 3 had cooled down in 2024. However, she returned to big title-winning ways just in time, triumphing at the year-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Gauff carried her momentum into this year's United Cup, where she went 5-0 in her singles matches to guide Team USA to its second title at the team event. The American is one of the favorites to pull through in Melbourne, but a few factors might hold her back. Here's a look at three things that could impede her campaign for a second Major title.
#1 Tough early-round matches ft. Naomi Osaka, Karolina Muchova, Jelena Ostapenko
2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff has received a fairly difficult draw, with a first-round match against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin looming. If the 20-year-old navigates past her fellow American's challenge, she is projected to face the dangerous Leylah Fernandez in the third round.
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A place in the second week of the Happy Slam is almost a surety for Gauff. However, the going gets tough here; the third seed can face either former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 20th-seeded Karolina Muchova, or the mercurial Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the quarterfinals. Therefore, she should be on top of her game if she wants a shot at silverware in Melbourne.
#2 Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek's match-up advantages against Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff has more than held her own against Aryna Sabalenka lately, having split their last six encounters. The Belarusian did, however, beat the American in the semifinals of the Australian Open last year in convincing fashion.
Although Gauff is much more confident in how she matches up against Iga Swiatek these days, as evidenced by her commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory against the Pole in the United Cup final, she still trails the five-time Major winner by a lopsided margin of 3-11 in their head-to-head meetings on the WTA Tour.
#3 Lack of big, easy-power groundstrokes from the baseline
Coco Gauff hired Brad Gilbert two years ago to renew her confidence in shotmaking. Their partnership seemed to work wonders initially in 2023, as the 20-year-old showed impressive aggressive intent to bag titles in New York, Cincinnati, and Washington.
However, the American's game lacked the aggression the following year as her results began deteriorating, prompting her to sack Gilbert. Since then, she has given some great performances on the WTA Tour, but she has also become somewhat more prone to getting overpowered by opponents from her forehand wing.
And while her backhand remains world-class, Gauff can do far more with the skills that she possesses. The 2024 WTA Finals titlist will be better off not depending on her endurance in Melbourne during the next fortnight and try to dominate proceedings with her groundstrokes, as the fast hardcourts at the tournament suit that style of play.
