After missing the opportunity to compete in Tokyo four years ago due to testing positive for Covid-19 on the eve of her departure, 21-year-old American Coco Gauff is hungry to bring home a medal in her first Olympic games.<\/p>\n
The current world #2 is among the favourites to bring home an Olympic medal in singles, doubles and mixed doubles; playing on the clay at Roland Garros, she will have numerous positive memories to draw on.<\/p>\n
Despite growing up playing on the hard courts in Florida, Gauff has excelled on clay from an early age.\u00a0Roland Garros is where Gauff won the girls\u2019 title in 2018 and made the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2023. She reached the finals of the French Open in 2022.<\/p>\n
Over the course of the 2024 clay swing, Gauff posted a 12-4 win record (74%), reaching the quarterfinals in Stuttgart and the semifinals in both Rome and at Roland Garros, where she lost to the eventual champion Iga Swiatek<\/a>. World #1 Swiatek has a 95% win record on clay this year, underscoring her position as the favourite for gold in Paris.<\/p>\n Clay requires increased patience and consistency, as rallies tend to be longer. Improvements Gauff has made in the past year make her a force to be reckoned with in long exchanges. And given her natural athletic ability, Gauff may be unbothered by the transition from clay to grass and back again to clay \u2013 a key concern for what is necessarily an easy transition.<\/p>\n When Gauff charged to the title at the US Open in 2023 it was a happy ending to a very rocky year that saw the American suffering through serve problems and inconsistency off of her forehand wing.<\/p>\n Since then, Gauff has been brimming with confidence and has settled in well with a new coaching team headed by Brad Gilbert. She\u2019s posting wins even on days when she\u2019s not playing her best. She\u2019s improved her mental game and used her many strengths \u2013 speed around the court, her big serve and her natural athletic ability \u2013 to stay at the top of the rankings.<\/p>\n What remains to be seen is how Gauff bounces back from the disappointing loss she suffered two weeks ago in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and where she had some uncharacteristic exchanges with her coaching box.<\/p>\n I expect Gauff to put that all behind her and arrive laser-focused on the task at hand. She\u2019s made no secret of her desire to win an Olympic medal and has talked openly about how much it means to her to represent her country.<\/p>\nUS Open success ends crisis of confidence<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Looking forward to the experience<\/strong><\/h4>\n