Coco Gauff's tough season: Petchey sheds light on reasons

Ex-coach of the former world number one Andy Murray, Mark Petchey, has highlighted reasons behind Americas’ young tennis star Coco Gauff’s struggles this season. The 20-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players in the world along with the likes of Poland’s Iga Swiatek, Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka and America’s Jessica Pegula.

Gauff has had a difficult time on the court this season, and she has failed to deliver any big performance. The current world number four six recently appeared at the US Open where, while defending her crown, she was knocked out of the competition after losing in the fourth round to fellow American Emma Navarro with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Before that, the one-time Grand Slam winner also suffered first and second rounds exit from the Canadian and the Cincinnati Open.

Ex coach of the former world number one Murray, Petchey, was recently quoted in a report where he highlighted the reasons behind Gauff’s downfall. The 54-year-old was of the opinion that despite having a weak serve and forehand, Gauff has managed to stay competitive because of athleticism.

“I think Coco will be disappointed with her season,” he said. “The problem with any success is that it buys you a bigger problem down the road when you don’t live up to the success the next year. Coco is the lighthouse for American tennis, both on the men’s and the women’s side. I think she handles it magnificently. Coco certainly has some flaws in her game that are going to be found out and exposed against the very best in the game as we have seen this year. However, sometimes she’s going to be able to mask them but she will only improve as she gets older and more experienced. In my opinion, Coco Gauff is the best athlete that has ever played women’s tennis. I say this despite her serve not being as reliable as you would like it to be for somebody so great, and her forehand at times can be a little bit of a liability, which she needs to work on. Despite all this, it’s her athleticism that allows her to stay at the top.”