(New York) Since Coco Gauff made her grand slam debut at the age of 15, she has found herself in the spotlight. Just about everyone recognizes his talent, his intelligence, his desire to win, as well as his ability to raise his game a notch when the stakes are high.
Virtually everyone, it seemed, was convinced that she had a place at the top of world tennis. Everyone, except perhaps Gauff herself. Even as the victories piled up, including the two biggest titles of her career last month en route to the U.S. Open, she wondered if she had simply taken advantage of a bad day from her opponents. .
See where she is now. Even Gauff is really starting to believe it. How could she not? The 19-year-old Floridian is just one victory away from her first major title and she can count on some 23,000 people to cheer her on in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday when she faces Aryna Sabalenka.
“It’s still relevant, but I admit giving myself more credit now,” Gauff said Thursday evening, after triumphing over Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5. And naming things helps make them real. I try to talk about myself in a more positive way, to tell myself that I am a great player. »
On Sunday, she will come into the race with an 11-game winning streak, her best career streak. Both Gauff, No. 6, and Sabalenka, a second-ranked Belarusian, will compete in a second Grand Slam final.
No doubt which way the support of the majority of supporters will go however. The boisterous crowds have been behind Gauff since the start of the tournament. Their harsh treatment of Germany’s Laura Siegemund, her first-round opponent, left her in tears after the match. Sabalenka also spoke, after her semi-final victory against Madison Keys, about the difficulty of facing an American in the United States.
“I still hope that some of them will support me. Just a little bit,” Sabalenka said with a laugh. Just on a few occasions, please! »
Gauff was the unfortunate finalist at the French Open last summer, losing to Iga Swiatek. Sabalenka won the Australian Open in January and is 23-2 at majors this season. She will replace Swiatek at the top of the world rankings on Monday, regardless of the result of the final.
Being able to play for the title at Melbourne Park “will help me,” said the 25-year-old Belarusian, “because I know what emotions I will experience; I know how to deal with them.”
Gauff, for her part, admitted that her presence in the final in Paris surprised her.
“I think I was […] relieved to have reached the final, since many people expect great things from me. I didn’t believe I had that in me, especially at that moment, against Iga, who was in the middle of a winning streak. But this time, I focus more on myself, my expectations. I don’t go on social media and listen to people who believe or don’t believe I can do it. »
Four years ago, she became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon and beat Venus Williams en route to a fourth-round appearance.
It was at this moment that the craze for him began. Other impressive results followed and attention grew.
But she also experienced a big disappointment at the All England Club in July: Gauff was eliminated in the first round, by Sofia Kenin.
Gauff locked herself in her hotel room for two days, using room service exclusively while brooding over her defeat. Her thoughts were already on the off-season and 2024. She was already ready to draw a line under the hard court portion of the calendar, even at Flushing Meadows.
It would have been a shame.
Gauff has won 17 of his 18 matches since. His game continues to improve, of course. Her self-confidence too.
“To reach the final is a great achievement,” she said Thursday. But I’m not entirely satisfied with it. »
