Coco Gauff set to join exclusive prize money club at the French Open
Coco Gauff may have been disappointed to lose the Italian Open final against Elena Svitolina, but she was right to highlight the optimism she could take from her run in Rome.
While there are clearly some issues that have yet to be resolved on his serve, Gauff’s battling qualities and her prowess on clay courts suggest she will head into the defence of his Roland Garros title as one of the favourites to win in Paris.
Her powerful ground shots and incredible battling spirit is covering up some of the glaring flaws in her game and that will give Gauff a chance to add to her legacy in the game that has already seen her reap huge financial rewards.
Even though she has been at the top of the women’s game for many years, Gauff only toasted her 22nd birthday last month and she is closing in on a remarkable prize money breakthrough at the French Open.
Gauff is currently 11th in the all-time prize money list in the women’s game, with her total of $32,379,966 boosted by a prize money cheque of €549,335 from her run in Rome.
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She is now just behind Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the all-time prize money list and should jump into the top ten on that list at the French Open.
One of Gauff’s second serves against Svitolina in the Italian Open final landed in the tram lines on the wrong side of the court, but the American believes she is making progress with a shot that has troubled her for a long time.
“I think it’s like the first time in my career I feel like I’m really stable with that shot,” she stated.
“It’s been an up-and-down process. I obviously don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we found the recipe to making it more consistent.
“Now it’s focusing on how to make it more of a weapon, how to serve smarter, thing like that, yeah.
“This run in Rome definitely gives me a lot of confidence because I also played some players who are having great clay court seasons and great seasons in general.
“I thought in Madrid I also felt like I was playing some good tennis, too. Just a little bit had to learn from having the lead in that match against Noskova.
“Overall, I feel like my game is getting better. There’s moments that I still can fine-tune and do better at. I definitely think it’s in the right direction.”
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1. Serena Williams – $94,816,730
2. Aryna Sabalenka – $49,241,919
3. Iga Swiatek – $45,140,885
4. Venus Williams – $43,077,000
5. Simona Halep – $40,236,618
6. Victoria Azarenka – $38,890,473
7. Maria Sharapova – $38,777,962
8. Petra Kvitova – $37,653,615
9. Caroline Wozniacki – $36,479,231
10. Algenique Kerber – $32,545,460
11. Coco Gauff – $31,830,631
12. Elena Rybakina – $28,493,979
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