Australian Open: Is it Coco Gauff’s time to shine Down Under?

Given everything she has already achieved in her fledgling career – and the weight of expectation she has borne as one of tennis’ rising superstars – it’s sometimes easy to forget that Coco Gauff is still only 20 years old.

Heading into the Australian Open, which runs from January 12 to 26, the American is in the form of her life.

After winning the prestigious season-ending WTA Finals in November for the first time, Gauff kicked off 2025 with an undefeated week in both singles and doubles to lead the USA to a second United Cup title in Australia.

Crucially, too, she appears to have ended her Iga Świątek jinx; Gauff won just one of her first 12 matches against the Pole on tour, but has now earned consecutive victories over Świątek at the WTA Finals and United Cup.

Gauff hired Matt Daly, a renowned grip specialist, as her new coach in September after parting ways with Brad Gilbert and has significantly improved both her forehand and serve, two shots that had at times contributed to a poor run of results last season.

The 2023 US Open champion, currently the world No. 3, said during the Wuhan Open in October that “there are changes happening” with her grip – and she is already reaping the rewards of that work.

Eurosport tennis expert and former professional Laura Robson said that Gauff’s grip alterations have “transformed her game.”

She added: “With the forehand, it’s not breaking down like it used to and it doesn’t feel like a weakness anymore and she’s so hard to pass because her movement is the best in a game.

“I would say that Coco’s all of a sudden, from where she was in the summer at the US Open, a completely different player and now among the favorites for a slam title again.”

Gauff led the USA to the United Cup with un undefeated week. Jeremy Piper/Reuters

Of course, the sample size for her new grip is small and it remains to be seen how it will hold up across a season when faced with a variety of conditions, surfaces and opponents, but her early success has led bookmakers to insert Gauff as second favorite to win the Australian Open above Świątek and below only two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

“There’s a lot of talk about Coco Gauff and her serve and her forehand, where is she going to go? Should she play aggressive tennis? Should she be scrappy and get the ball back and play?” seven-time grand slam singles champion Mats Wilander told Eurosport.

“Obviously, there needs to be a combination of the two, but I think that we don’t understand the physical ability of Coco Gauff; she’s a tremendous athlete. One of the best female athletes in the world in any sport, and she’s obviously one of the best tennis players in the world, if not maybe the best at this moment.”

Gauff has been given a tricky draw in the opening round against compatriot and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, but if she gets some momentum behind her, look to see the young American shine in Melbourne.

Świątek and Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to make history in Australia. William West/AFP/Getty Images

If Gauff doesn’t win her maiden Australian Open crown, then it’s difficult to see any other player beyond world No. 1 Sabalenka or No. 2 Świątek taking the title, such is the dominance of the top three on tour.

But Sabalenka remains the favorite for a reason. The two-time defending champion is aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1999 to win three straight Australian Open titles.

Her precision and relentless power are particularly potent weapons on the fast hard courts Down Under and will provide the sternest test yet of Gauff’s new forehand grip should the pair meet in the semifinals.

This is the first time in her career that Sabalenka, who also has a tricky first-round draw against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, has entered a grand slam as the top seed after she recently took the No. 1 spot in the rankings from Świątek.

After not dropping a single set en route to defending her title last year, Sabalenka is unquestionably yet again the player to beat in Australia.

“Sabalenka is a slight favorite in my eyes. She really is a hard-court specialist, who has a good chance of winning, even on clay and on grass,” Wilander said.

While the fast conditions in Melbourne are not Świątek’s favorite surface, she will no doubt remain a threat at the Australian Open.

The five-time grand slam champion’s best performance Down Under came when she reached the semifinals in 2022, but she hasn’t been past the fourth round in all of her other attempts.

The end of Świątek’s 2024 season was disrupted by a one-month suspension after she tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said they found Świątek’s “level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’” and accepted her explanation that the positive test was “caused by the contamination of a regulated non-prescription medication.”

Świątek missed three tournaments as a result and had to forfeit the ranking points and prize money she won at the Cincinnati Open, which led to Sabalenka overtaking her as world No. 1.

Iga Świątek has only once been past the fourth round at the Australian Open. David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

“I think Iga is probably full of revenge for many reasons – the biggest being that she lost her No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka,” Wilander told Eurosport. “She has a new coach (Wim Fissette) in her corner. She’s not always going to be the best player in the world, but she’s going to be knocking on the door to the No. 1 ranking for at least another five years.

“She’s too serious. She’s too good. She’s too complete. Yes, she has a problem against some of the big hitters on the women’s tour, but so does everybody else too. Not much is going to change her mindset or her drive, or her ambition and motivation to be the absolute best version of herself every single day she steps on the court.

“It’s not the perfect conditions for Iga Świątek, but at the same time, you’ve got to be fit, you’ve got to be ready to go and she’s always ready to go. I think she will have a good tournament; she’s not one of the favorites to win it, but she certainly could cause an upset and win the Australian Open.”

Source: edition.cnn.com