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Three-time Grand Slam finalist Mary Jo Fernandez feels Coco Gauff is on the way to becoming a major-winning player.
Gauff played her first Grand Slam championship match in 2022, going down to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros after a memorable French Open run.
Fernandez says Gauff still has some progress to make before she takes the final step and wins a Grand Slam.
Gauff was on the roster in Auckland earlier this season, but her run at the Australian Open ended with a straight-sets loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round.
Fernandez says that while Gauff’s talent is still raw, she has tremendous potential.
“I think she’s a work in progress with Coco. «She’s 18 years old, she still has a lot of work to do on her game,» Mary Jo Fernandez said on the «Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe» podcast.
Former world number 4 Gauff believes she is making incredible progress as a player, which makes her an exciting prospect.
«But I think she’s going in the right direction,» Fernandez said. “Her win in Auckland was some of the best tennis I’ve seen from her. She’s working hard on the front end, she’s working hard on the serve.»
Fernandez says Gauff has improved her service. A sign that she is working hard on her game.
«I felt the service in Australia was better, a lot less double faults… I felt that was something she was fine with and I felt she was finding margins and spinning,» she added.
As for the player herself, she says it was important for her to learn how to handle pressure as a young adult while practicing full-time participation on the WTA Tour.
«Everything is under a lot of pressure, so pressure is something I’ve been working on my whole life,» Gauff said earlier this year.
“Maybe it’s something I don’t know, because you never get used to it, but I have to learn to handle it better every day.
The more you try in the beginning, the better you can fight these feelings.
Gauff said she would never know how she would feel if she won a Grand Slam.
«That’s a question I won’t answer until the time comes,» she added.
“I know I have to adjust some tactical aspects, but you don’t know how you feel about winning a Grand Slam final, it’s impossible until you do.
«We’ll see if I can do it. I’ll answer the question better that day.»
