In-Form Coco Gauff Feeling Confident Ahead Of 2025 Australian Open
by Manasi Pathak · ForbesAmerican tennis star Coco Gauff said she feels confident going into the upcoming Australian Open following a bright start to the new season as she helped her country win its second United Cup title in three years.
Gauff delivered a clutch singles victory over Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the final of the mixed-teams United Cup tournament to give the Americans a 1-0 lead before Taylor Fritz defeated Hubert Hurkacz in men’s singles to wrap up the contest.
The 20-year-old Gauff was in terrific form at the tournament in Sydney as she did not drop a set in five singles matches.
With her victory over five-time major winner Swiatek, Gauff repeated her feat from the WTA Finals in Riyadh by topping the Pole for the second time in a row.
"Obviously, the start of the season gives me a lot of confidence," Gauff said ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on January 12. “I feel like when I'm playing confident tennis, I'm playing great tennis.
“I definitely feel confident going into AO.”
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In the build-up to the Australian Open, Gauff skipped the WTA 250 event in Auckland to compete at the United Cup, reasoning that the tournament offered better competition.
Gauff reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2024, losing to Aryna Sabalenka, who went on to lift the title. The American youngster said that winning her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 2023 gave her belief that she could win more majors.
“Honestly, before every Grand Slam I have the belief that I can win," said Gauff. “And especially after the US Open, I proved that I could do it. I definitely have a belief that I can win.”
In 2024, Gauff made a positive start with semi-final finishes at the Australian and French Opens but suffered a dip in results when she was knocked out in the fourth round at Wimbledon and the third round at the Paris Olympics.
She also suffered early exits in Toronto and Cincinnati and did not defend her U.S. Open title, undergoing a fourth-round exit, which prompted her to split from coach Brad Gilbert.
The shake-up in coaching revived her fortunes as soon after Gauff won the China Open in October and her maiden WTA Finals title the following month.
“I'm realizing more and more each day that tennis is not a measure of my value as a person. I think the more you realize that the more relaxed these tournaments become,” said Gauff.
“I'm still going to experience pressure. It's easier said than done.”
Ranked third in the WTA rankings, Gauff is expected to be one of the title challengers to Sabalenka at the 2025 Australian Open.
The world No. 1 is aiming for her third-straight major in Melbourne and comes into the opening Grand Slam of the season on the back of the best year of her career in which she also won the U.S. Open.
Gauff will be a major threat to Sabalenka, especially given the American’s great record on hard courts, with eight of her nine career singles titles coming on the surface.