Coco Gauff reveals ambitious Grand Slam target – ‘I think setting my goals high pushes me’
Coco Gauff will not be resting on her laurels following her US Open success as she admitted her goal is to win multiple Grand Slams and, although she doesn’t have an exact number, she hopes to reach “double-digits”.
Long tipped to become one of the biggest tennis stars in the game, Gauff made her major breakthrough last year as she stunningly went all the way at her home Slam, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final at Flushing Meadows.
After her win tennis great Martina Navratilova predicted big things for the 19-year-old as she told Sky Sports: “She will win double-figure majors if she stays fit.
“We were talking the big three. Now it’s the big four. It’s Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff.
“She has no pressure on her now because now she’s won this one, so the expectations have been met. I think the confidence that she’ll get from this, she’s just getting started. Now she’s got some time to get better.”
And Gauff herself is keen on “double-digits” as she explained during a press conference ahead of the 2024 Australian Open, her first major as a Grand Slam winner.
“Some players’ goal is to win a Grand Slam. Once they reach that, it’s kind of what’s next,” she stated.
“For me, I always knew I wanted to win multiple. It was kind of easy to forget about it. Not ‘forget’. I think that’s the wrong word. Maybe just put it in the past and look forward to the future instead of dwelling on the past.”
Asked if she had an exact number, she replied: “Not really, to be honest. I mean, I would say recently I feel like I wanted to get double-digits. That’s, like, cool. But there’s no number.
“Yeah, who knows? That could change depending on how my career goes. Right now I would say double-digits would be pretty awesome. I don’t know if it will happen, but I think that’s a high goal. I think setting my goals high pushes me beyond what I think I can do.”
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Her US Open title run is still fresh in the memory, Gauff knows it is important not to dwell although the teenager does feel the confidence she gained from that tournament will do her the world of good in 2024.
“For me, the only thing I will try to remember from that Slam is just the way that I won,” she said. “It wasn’t my best tennis. It was more so the mental fire.
“I think that confidence will bring me into the Australian Open this year, probably even more Slams for the rest of the season.”
