Coco Gauff’s ‘resilience’ hailed by former No 1 after WTA Finals triumph
Coco Gauff has the “resilience” to win multiple big titles in her career, according to seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin.
US star Gauff ended her 2024 season on a huge high with victory at the WTA Finals, rallying from a set and a break down to defeat Zheng Qinwen in a thrilling final.
That was the third title of the season for the 20-year-old, who finishes 2024 as the world No 3 despite struggling with serve and forehand issues across the year.
Gauff won four of her five matches at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, beating both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the title.
Speaking to Eurosport, former world No 1 Henin praised Gauff’s “capacity to bounce back” from setbacks and produce an “exceptional” end to her season.
“She has a resilience that potentially will take her very far in terms of what she will win in her career,” said the Belgian.
“She has the capacity to bounce back, and that’s the sign of a potentially very big future. Of course, there is a path to get there and reach these successes.
“Her end of season has been really exceptional, the way that she went after the win in that final [against Qinwen].
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“It’s great to watch matches of that quality. We’ve seen a lot of them this year and we’re seeing some rivalries begin to establish themselves at the top of the game.
“Coco Gauff showed once again a lot of heart, she plays with her weaknesses, with her flaws, but she never gives up and that’s what she showed once more in that final.”
Gauff’s surge in the latter months of 2024 saw her win the China Open title and reach the Wuhan Open semi-finals, after a difficult summer that saw her fail to make the last eight at five straight events.
Most notably, the American fell in the fourth round of her US Open title defence and was also beaten early when defending her Cincinnati Open title.
However, in a defence of the 20-year-old, tennis great Henin highlighted that Gauff was comparatively young, and still had plenty of time to improve.
Henin added: “Last year she had a summer that was completely different.
“We’ve seen things that have evolved in her game in a difficult way, but I was nonetheless quite impressed by the level of her game.
“Even if we can analyse her career and her results, we must also not forget that she is still very young and we are very demanding with her. She is very demanding of herself.”
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