Proof that the Hard Yards are Paying off

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday, October 29, 2022

Age is just a number when it comes to Coco Gauff, the precocious American who is a top-5 player in singles and doubles at the moment, and one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of women’s tennis.

Ahead of her debut at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Gauff says she is not paying much attention to the fact that she’s still only 18, and continues to set age-related records as she climbs up the WTA rankings.

“I don’t really pay attention to it,” Gauff told reporters. “Not that I’m not grateful. Obviously I’m really grateful. When it comes to these statistics and stats about my age, I guess… I mean, it’s cool, but I feel like it’s my life, so I don’t look at it as amazing or outstanding as other people look at it.”

What is important to Gauff, however, is the fact that she has proved the doubters wrong by answering all the tough questions in her third year on tour. In her pre-tournament press conference, she referred to her breakout season, when she stormed Wimbledon as a 15 year old, becoming the youngest player to reach the second week at SW19 since 1991.

Howdy Texas 🤠 @JLPegula pic.twitter.com/62NNMozoo2

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) October 29, 2022

Gauff sees her qualification for this year’s WTA Finals, where she became the youngest to qualify for singles since Maria Sharapova in 2005, as proof that she’s headed in the right direction.

“It means a lot to me,” Gauff said. “I think it proves, just shows my improvement throughout the years. I busted onto the scene in a very big way, and a lot of people were having opinions on whether or not I would do well or not.

“I think this just proves that all the work that I’ve put in is paying off. Obviously I want to go further. The WTA Finals is not where I want this chapter to end. I think it just shows that I’m progressing. Sometimes I forget that I am. I think it allows me to take a step back and realize that I am one of the top eight players in the world, and I should be grateful for that.”

Gauff has been drawn into the Tracy Austin Group, with Iga Swiatek, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina – she will open her event against Garcia in the second singles match on Tuesday evening in Fort Worth.