“Another major to cement myself”: Coco Gauff prioritises Grand Slam wins over No. 1 spot

Coco Gauff was asked whether she’d prefer to win another Grand Slam or reach World No. 1 in the WTA Rankings for the first time. The 21-year-old American claimed her first and only major title at the 2023 US Open, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Gauff has been a consistent Top 10 player since entering in 2022 — at just 18 years old — with her career-high ranking being World No. 2 (currently No. 3, behind Sabalenka and Swiatek). She’s become one of the top contenders at every tournament she plays, regularly making deep runs in the biggest events.

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Not only did Gauff win the title at Flushing Meadows, but she also holds two WTA 1000 titles, the 2024 WTA Finals, and a runner-up finish at Roland Garros. In total, she has nine singles titles in ten finals, all achieved before turning 21 just two weeks ago. The American has also reached World No. 1 in doubles and became the 2024 French Open doubles champion alongside Katerina Siniakova.

This week at the Miami Open, Gauff is the local favourite to keep the title at home. The World No. 3 claimed commanding victories over Sofia Kenin (6-0, 6-0) and 28th seed Maria Sakkari (6-2, 6-4) to reach the Round of 16, where she’ll face Poland’s Magda Linette.

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In a press conference, Gauff was asked whether she’d rather win another Grand Slam or reach the top of the rankings for the first time. “Another major,” Gauff replied. “I’ve always said… I don’t know, I feel like people remember you more for majors than the World No. 1 ranking.

“Obviously, if you could have both, that’s great. I think for me personally, especially with only having one, I would like to have another,” she added. “Now, if I had like four and I hadn’t reached number one, then maybe that would be a different story. But only having one, I’d like to have another one just to cement myself even more.”

On Monday, Gauff will aim to reach the Miami Open quarterfinals for the first time in her career, at the only hard-court WTA 1000 where she hasn’t yet made the last eight. She has faced Linette twice before, winning both encounters.

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