Will it click for Coco Gauff? Could she have a great Australian Open? Jonathan Overend believes world No 3 can lift title in Melbourne | Tennis News

Will it click for Coco Gauff? Jonathan Overend believes the American world No 3 can have a great Australian Open and lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in Melbourne.

Gauff, who begins her campaign against 55th-ranked Uzbek Kamilla ​Rakhimova on Monday, will bring plenty ‍of swagger after her French Open win last year, her second major title after the US Open in 2023.

But the tenacious 21-year-old knows the next step is to deliver high-quality performances consistently as she aims to iron out continuous issues with her forehand and second serve through the help of a biomechanics coach.

The 21-year-old arrives with momentum from the United Cup, where she won three of four ‌matches to help the United States reach the semi-finals of the mixed-team tournament.

However, her serve remains a concern and she continues to produce too many double faults. ​The American has 28 so far this year already.

“I want to give it my all in each match,” she said. “I feel like that stemmed from my serve, having good days and really bad days. ‍The more that stroke becomes more consistent, the more my results will become more consistent.”

The American could meet the legendary Venus Williams in the second round of the Australian Open although the seven-time Grand Slam winner is ranked down at No 576 in the world because of her limited time on the tour.

They first played each other when Gauff was aged 15 at Wimbledon. A 6-4 6-4 victory saw the teenager announce herself to the world.

But Gauff now has world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No 2 Iga Swiatek in her sights as she looks to be the big challenger at the top of the rankings.

Can Gauff solve her technical difficulties?

Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend admits being “fascinated” by Gauff and firmly believes she could solve her technical difficulties under long-time coach Jean-Christophe ‘JC’ Faurel and Gavin MacMillan – hired to fix her serve.

“The Coco Gauff story continues and that’s because from my firm belief she will one day sort out these technical difficulties which have kept the conversation going over the last couple of years,” said Overend.

“Not a Gauff match goes by without a mention of her second serve or her forehand and it’s inevitable and also understandable because it’s there for all to see.

“But I firmly believe it’s a case of when she sorts that out – not if she sorts it out.

“The idea of Gauff going her entire career without finding a solution to two fundamental parts of the sport is unthinkable in my mind. It will click!

“She’s dealt with challenges and overcome adversities all her life. When it happens, oh my goodness, what a player we’re going to have and it could be this year. That’s the really exciting thing for Gauff.

“She’s won two Grand Slams and become an established player with two massive technical weaknesses and the excitement has to drive her when the solutions are found and the answer in my mind is world No 1.

“It might not be this year but could she have a great Australian Open? Absolutely, she could.

“She’s already won the French Open and the US Open in her career and she could again. That leaves Wimbledon and the grass courts. Let’s see if she is to win all four majors over the course of her career.”

‘Wimbledon is her biggest challenge’

Overend feels Wimbledon will be a significant hurdle for Gauff due to her game-style and the nature of the fast courts at the All-England Club.

He said: “Wimbledon will be the biggest challenge because of the way the ball fizzes through low, flat, skids onto the forehand and gives her such little reaction time and a shot which needs good preparation, so that’s an issue.

“We come back to the point of she will one day find a way. She’s not going to stand there being played off the court at Wimbledon her entire career and still think it’s still the right way to play that shot.

“Where did the big break happen for Coco Gauff? When she was 15 and she beat Venus Williams and made the round of 16 – it was at Wimbledon! It’s funny how it goes.

“The Slam now seen as her weakest is the one where the big breakthrough happened, so she has to believe that one day it will all come together and when it does, it will be frightening because this is a player who could dominate and be Sabalenka’s big rival this year.”

The rise of the American teenager to Grand Slam glory

Gauff became the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.

Already renowned for a level of maturity rarely seen for someone so young, Gauff delivered one of the greatest winning speeches in 2023 following her victory from a set down against Aryna Sabalenka – silencing doubters who said a Grand Slam title would never come.

“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,” she said.

In the build-up she had won a WTA 500 level title in Washington – which she backed up with a prestigious WTA 1000 Cincinnati title – before her Flushing Meadows success.

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