John McEnroe expects Coco Gauff to win 'a bunch of majors' but Iga Swiatek will be hard to dethrone as world No. 1
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Updated 12/01/2024 at 18:16 GMT
Much is expected of Coco Gauff heading into the first Grand Slam of the calendar year, as the Australian Open kicks off on January 14. The 19-year-old won her first major at the US Open in September, and last week defended her title in Auckland by beating Elina Svitolina in the final. John McEnroe is tipping Gauff to challenge for majors again, but says Iga Swiatek's No. 1 ranking is safe for now.
Gauff 'really happy' to defend title for first time in career with Auckland win
John McEnroe, in an exclusive interview with Eurosport, says he expects Coco Gauff to win "a bunch of majors", but has questioned whether the American can challenge Iga Swiatek’s world No. 1 ranking "any time soon".
Gauff won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open last September, and while McEnroe is expecting more majors from the 19-year-old, he believes Swiatek’s consistency makes the Polish star very tough to usurp.
The Australian Open, the first major of 2024, begins in Melbourne on January 14, live on Eurosport and discovery+.
“She [Gauff] is not as big as [Elena] Rybakina, [Aryna] Sabalenka, or [Iga] Swiatek, but she’s extremely athletic the way [Carlos] Alcaraz is. I expect her to win more majors,” McEnroe told Eurosport.
“It can be done. She is in a good place mentally, and added pieces to her team recently like Brad Gilbert, who knows what it takes.
“I expect big things from her and she’s still young. Over the next 10 years I would be surprised if she doesn’t win a bunch of majors.
“Soon there will be more younger players to add to the mix. I think Swiatek has done a great job at keeping up her level for so long now so it will be really hard for Coco to get close to her ranking any time soon though.”
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Meanwhile, Barbara Schett gave her prediction to Eurosport on who she thinks will feature in the women's final in Melbourne on January 27.
“On the women’s side, Iga looks strong and I think she’ll make it to the final against probably Rybakina,” Schett said.
“Iga looks physically strong and her mindset is much more convincing than recent years where she said she struggled a bit with the pressure of world No. 1.
“Sabalenka also has to be up there and won last year, she was in the Brisbane finals but lost to Rybakina. I don’t want to rule out Coco Gauff, but on this surface with the speed, those players will do well and one of them will probably capture the title. These four players will lead women’s tennis.
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Rybakina says win over Sabalenka in Brisbane ‘gives confidence’ going into Australian Open
"They’ve all improved. But there are others [such as] Emma Raducanu, Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, who I’m all looking forward to seeing this season.”
Angelique Kerber is also set to make her Grand Slam return in Melbourne after giving birth last year and has not featured on the tour since Wimbledon 2022.
Schett has kept a close eye on the German’s progress and compared her attributes to Naomi Osaka, who returned to the court in Brisbane – six months after her pregnancy.
“I was excited and watched her [Kerber] at the United Cup,” Schett added.
“She played five matches and won one, which was really important. She said she loves tennis more than she previously did, and it’s a privilege to see her back competing.
“Compared to Osaka though, she can’t create as much power. Her serve is a lot slower than the other girls and she likes to take the pace from her opponents.
“I am not sure she has enough firepower to compete for titles, but let’s see how far she can get. She is a tremendous fighter, won the United Cup with Germany and hopefully she’s not too tired, as I think that was very tough for her physically.”
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