Australian Open 2021 - Opinion: Coco Gauff's game 'too big' - and so is the expectation around her

It was fascinating to hear the commentators on the match between Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina. They were reminiscing about the teenage achievements of Monica Seles, who won nine Grand Slam singles titles before her 20th birthday - the first as a 16-year-old at the French Open.

And that's leaving aside her other career titles before her peers had even left school, including wins at Indian Wells and Miami.

Gauff - 17 next month - will invariably be likened to other tennis prodigies.

There's Martina Hingis, for example - world number one at the age of 16. Tracy Austin won a career title when she'd just turned 14; Jennifer Capriati was 14 and a half; Gabriela Sabatini was 15.

Gauff was 15 when she won Linz at the end of 2019, entering the draw as a lucky loser; she had been taken apart in qualifying, but grasped her second chance. It came almost 18 months after her Wimbledon debut, when she caught the world's attention by beating Venus Williams and reached the fourth round before losing to Simona Halep.

2020 was a difficult year for everyone, but Gauff spent her time wisely, involving herself in social justice movements and using her platform to effect positive change.

However, a straight-sets loss to Svitolina in the second round of the Australian Open has demonstrated just how much she needs to develop before she can be considered a real Grand Slam contender.

"Coco seems really mature when she’s off the court and of course we know she was very vocal when the Black Lives Matter movement was happening," said Eurosport expert Mats Wilander after that match. "Great to see someone that young be so involved and be aware of society and the problems we have.

"For her, she’s got such a big game, she’s not 16 physically, she’s more like a 22-year-old, so does she have what it takes in terms of concentration and mental strength? We’ve some really cool matches from her at Wimbledon when she was hitting sliced forehands, but overall I think she is rushing a little bit, calm down and play the match the way she can play, take the loss and find out how far she is behind the likes of Elina Svitolina."

Of course, the difference between Gauff and her prodigious predecessors is the intense and never-ending hype around her, thanks to social media and 24-hour news, plus of course the desperate desire from the USA to produce a new tennis champion. The Coco name has been a brand for a couple of years already. She is coached by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams' mentor. There is nowhere for her to escape the glare of the spotlight; there is little opportunity for her to go away quietly and work on her game, or compete in a couple of low-key events to see how she does. The expectation is high, maybe too high for her to fulfil at this stage of her tennis development, or perhaps ever.

Despite her father's protests a few years ago, Gauff may find herself grateful for the WTA rule that limits her participation in tournaments for the next year. When she turns 18 next March, she'll be able to play every single tournament she wants - and the hopes for her success will be even higher.