"Top 20 even if a ham sandwich was coaching": Key difference between Alcaraz, Gauff and Shelton, Navarro and Collins says Andy Roddick

Thursday, 28 November 2024 at 11:30

Coco Gauff kisses the WTA Finals trophy at the end of the 2024 season

Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz were always going to be on the trajectory they are currently on in the view of Andy Roddick who spoke on Served about how they differ to Ben Shelton, Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro for instance.

Roddick quipped that especially Alcaraz would've been top 20 even if a ham sandwich was coaching him and that Juan Carlos Ferrero has managed to up that trajectory and make him into a 'living legend' at 21.

While he said that in the case of American trio Ben Shelton, Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins, they managed to have the cheat code of playing against other talented players growing up and not having to change coaches constantly which gave them a leg up in comparison.

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Albeit Navarro for instance despite being perceived to be given a leg up for wealth purposes grinded on the lower tours in order to rise with many saying that her and Pegula can't use money to buy wins no matter how much wealth they perceive to have.

"Coco Gauff was always going to be Coco Gauff, in any system, in tennis. Carlos Alcaraz, maybe Ferrero expedited it and made him great. Carlos Alcaraz was going to be top 20 if a ham sandwich was coaching him. Now Ferrero has expedited the process and made him already a living legend at 21 years old. So Ferrero's value-add can't be measured, right?" Roddick said.

"Now what we've seen, a big change, give me the common ground between Ben Shelton, Emma Navarro, Danielle Collins, what's the cheat code there and what are the similarities with what I was discussing before? A lot of access to playing against other talented people, low cost for improvement, you're not having to make a massive investment and good coaching, consistent coaching, not flipping coaches," Roddick added.

Coco Gauff becomes the first American woman to win the WTA Finals since Serena Williams in 2014.

Proud.

🇺🇸❤️ pic.twitter.com/7Y0PxrTv0f
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 9, 2024

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