Gauff begins US Open title defence hoping to rediscover best form
The American third seed gets her US Open title defence underway on Monday afternoon when she takes on France's Varvara Gracheva in the opening round.
It promises to be a special occasion for Gauff as she walks out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time since her 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka in last year's showpiece.
Having become the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999, Gauff will be looking to defend her crown against a high-quality field, including the likes of Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Qinwen Zheng.
Form and momentum might not be on the American's side this time around, but as she's proven on a number of occasions throughout her young career, Gauff has the mental resilience and dogged determination to battle through adversity on the road to success.
Fulfilling her prophecy
Gauff has long been touted as a future world number one and a dominant force in women’s tennis.
Those lofty expectations all started with a shock victory over Venus Williams at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old qualifier in 2019, and ever since that breakthrough moment, her progress has been heavily scrutinised.
Success wasn’t as immediate as many hoped, with Gauff remaining winless at a WTA 500 event for the next four years while struggling to find any kind of consistency at the slams or the marquee Masters 1000 tournaments.
That all dramatically changed during the hard-court swing last summer though, as the American broke new ground with a WTA 500 title in Washington, a Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati and then a maiden Grand Slam in New York.
It was a career-changing month for Gauff - a culmination of four years of hard work on the tour - and she revelled in the opportunity to be able to prove her doubters wrong.
“I want to say honestly thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,” Gauff said in the aftermath of her US Open final victory over Sabalenka.
"I've tried my best to carry this with grace and I've been doing my best so, honestly, to those who thought you were putting water on my fire, you're really adding gas to it. And now I'm really burning so bright right now."
It was a defiant message from Gauff and a fascinating insight into her ability to use the outside noise as a source of motivation, fuelling her rise from precocious talent to Grand Slam champion.
Struggles with form
12 months on from her success at Flushing Meadows, it's fair to say Gauff has experienced a topsy-turvy 2024.
Semi-final runs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros earlier in the year were more than respectable showings but the American’s form has unravelled since.
A fourth-round exit to compatriot Emma Navarro at Wimbledon was a missed opportunity, while her dreams of Olympic glory in Paris after carrying the flag for Team USA were dashed in the third round by an inspired Donna Vekic.
In isolation, defeats against such high-calibre opposition can be brushed aside, however, more recent losses to fellow 20-year-old Diana Shnaider and world number 32 Yulia Putintseva in Toronto and Cincinnati respectively have exposed some worrying frailties in Gauff’s game.
The forehand side continues to leak errors and falter in the key moments while the quality of her serving has been a cause for concern for several months.
Gauff has also been involved in a couple of heated disagreements with umpires after controversial line calls at the French Open and Olympics, further compounding her struggles on the court.
Having said all of that, there is certainly no need to hit the panic button just yet. Gauff has still enjoyed some memorable moments in 2024, including a second successive title in Auckland and a career-high ranking of world number two.
What’s more, an overall record of 36-14 this season is far from disastrous as she looks to consolidate her place amongst the leading crop of women’s players.
Gauff has already proven she can overcome setbacks, and at the tender age of 20, time is very much on her side as she targets the best possible response to a disappointing summer.
Rediscovering her spark
The added incentive of a home Grand Slam and the opportunity to defend her US Open title could certainly serve as a catalyst for Gauff.
She has looked uncharacteristically flat and devoid of belief at times in recent weeks, but a return to Flushing Meadows can quickly bring those happy memories and confidence flooding back.
Furthermore, Gauff's early exit in Cincinnati enabled her to enjoy a brief mental reset at home in Delray Beach instead of heading straight to New York - a rare luxury in tennis' unforgiving schedule.
“One thing I’ve learned is that I have had a lot of success so far in my career, and I always put the pressure on myself to do more. But sometimes it’s good to just say you did well, and obviously you want to do more," she explained in Cincinnati.
"I think I’m trying to take a step back and enjoy what I’ve done so far and use that experience to push me forward.”
It remains to be seen whether she can rediscover her best form in time to successfully defend the title, but one thing's for sure: write Coco Gauff off at your peril.
