3 minute read
Teen queen Coco Gauff says dabbling in other sports as a youngster helped her tennis development as she eyes a second grand slam title at the Australian Open.
Already a member of the exclusive teenaged major winners' club and looking every chance to double that haul in Melbourne, it's abundantly clear that Coco Gauff made the right call when she chose tennis.
In a parallel universe, the supremely-talented Gauff reckons she would also have made a good fist of 400m running - or quarter-miling in the US sporting parlance.
The 19-year-old was long destined for tennis greatness.
But with a eye on the bigger picture, Gauff's parents ensured she also dabbled in other sports until her early teens.
"My parents never wanted me to specify in a sport, which is why when I was 13, I knew that I was going to play tennis, but they still put me in basketball and track," she said after powering into the last eight at the Australian Open, having dropped only 16 games in her first four matches.
"I ended up missing my All-Star (basketball) game because I had to play the junior US Open. I made the finals of that tournament.
"I always knew tennis was going to be my thing.
"But there's something about playing other sports that teaches you how to use your muscles differently, teaches you the mindset.
"I always recommend parents and just kids to not put themselves in a box so early, even though you know what your main sport is going to be."
Cross-training plays a major role in Gauff's off-season program - be that athletics, swimming or boxing.
But it's 400m running where Gauff reckons she would be really well suited.
"The only times I'm on the track is for cardio, and we're doing a lot of them," said Gauff.
"So the time is not really the true time because we're doing like five, four, five or six 400s in (quick succession).
"But I am curious.
"Maybe I'll bring it up to my fitness coach and see if he can do a session just to see what my best time would be."
Even so, that's a challenge for another day.
The next item on the agenda at Melbourne Park for Gauff - who is riding as nine-match winning streak in 2024 and an 11-match grand slam sequence - is a quarter-final on Tuesday against Marta Kostyuk.
The unseeded Ukrainian ended the challenge of Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva to reach her maiden grand slam quarter-final.
Last September, Gauff became the first teenager since Serena Williams in 1999 to win the US Open title.
The 2024 Australian Open is her last major as a teenager.
4-COCO GAUFF (USA) leads MARTA KOSTYUK (UKR) 1-0
2022 Adelaide, hard, R16, Gauff 6-3 5-7 6-3
COCO GAUFF
Age: 19
Ranking: 4
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US12,250,713
Career titles: 7
Grand slam titles: 1 (US Open 2023)
Australian Open win-loss record: 11-4
Best Australian Open results: quarter-finalist 2020, 2022, 2024
MARTA KOSTYUK
Age: 21
Ranking: 37
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US3,238,278
Career titles: 1
Grand slam titles: 0
Australian Open win-loss record: 10-4
Best Australian Open result: quarter-finalist 2024
