Struggling Coco Gauff’s Misery Worsens as Tennis Insider Fires Shots at Her Performance Despite Sky-High Ranking
Defending champ Coco Gauff’s bid to defend her title hit a snag as she stumbled in the first round against Yulia Putintseva. Despite being ranked world number 2, Gauff has faced a challenging few months, marked by recent exits from the Cincinnati Open and the Olympics. This string of difficulties has led journalist Ben Rothenberg to deliver a pointed critique, underscoring the mounting pressure on Gauff as she navigates this rough patch in her career.
To highlight her recent slump, Gauff has now dropped her previous five games against players who are ranked in the top 50 of the WTA. This decline is a stark contrast to her form leading up to the US Open the previous year, when she was playing at her best.
Gauff’s performance has significantly decreased as the 2024 US Open draws near, raising questions about her readiness to defend her championship and get back to her best as the tournament draws near. Looking into that, journalist Ben Rothenberg came forward with a direct jab at the young American.
He said, “Sabalenka and Rybakina are too shaky to be called a constellation of stars in women’s tennis. Same with Coco. Despite being number two in the WTA rankings, it is hard to find any spectacular result in her case this season.”
As she approaches the US Open, Monica Puig has speculated that Coco Gauff’s recent bad play would really be to her advantage. In an interview with Tennis Channel, Puig said that Gauff is dealing with the difficulty of defending three major titles in a row for the first time, which could be having an impact on her mental health.
Despite these losses, Puig thinks Gauff may learn from her previous disappointments and turn them into a strength as she gets ready for the year’s last Grand Slam. She stated, “For Coco this is the first time she is defending three really big titles back to back to back and maybe that’s affecting her mental space.”
Gauff even refused to attend the press conference following her loss in Cincinnati. However, at the same time, she shared her disappointing take on the loss.
Coco Gauff opens up about facing an early loss
Gauff refused to attend the press conference following her 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 loss to Yulia Putintseva in Cincinnati, although she did have a brief conversation with the WTA Tour to discuss her and her opponent’s performances. The World No. 2 acknowledged Putintseva’s strategic performance but voiced dissatisfaction with her remarkably high total of 50 unforced errors, including nine double faults.
She stated, “It was not the best match for me. I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2 (in the third). I think most of the points she won were off my errors.“ Gauff will join an elite group of women’s singles players who have won the coveted hardcourt major several times if she is successful in defending her US Open title.
This club includes Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Naomi Osaka, Justine Henin, Monica Seles, Tracy Austin, and Steffi Graf. Will she be able to defend her one and only slam?
