"Coco Gauff brings another audience to the sport who aren't tennis fans": Greg Rusedski discusses American's rivalry with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka
Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski believes Coco Gauff has the personality to draw new fans to tennis.
Gauff lifted the 2023 US Open trophy in stellar fashion, rallying from a set down against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to beat her 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. She became the third teenager in US Open history to win the women's title after Tracy Austin (1979) and Serena Williams (1999).
Speaking on Tennis Channel's Inside-In podcast, Rusedski stressed the need for a couple of rivalries in women's tennis, similar to Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic among the men. Rusedski expressed his desire to see Gauff regularly meeting Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the latter stages of Majors in the future.
"I think what we need is, we need a rivalry in the women's game especially. Because in the men's game, you've got Carlos, the young buck, vs Novak Djokovic, the legend of our sport. You know, you need a Coco-Swiatek, you need a Coco-Sabalenka. You need a group that's playing in Majors finals or semis week in and week out," Rusedski said.
The former World No. 4 added that rivalries made the sport more exciting for the fans and pointed out the 19-year-old American's ability to draw the crowd.
"I look back and part of why I loved tennis growing up as a kid was John McEnroe-Bjorn Borg finals, Martina [Navratilova] and Chrissie [Evert], the longest and the greatest rivalry in tennis, playing over 80 times, that's what people want to see and also, Coco brings another audience to the sport who aren't tennis fans and that is a big plus," he added.
Coco Gauff gears up for China Open after US Open triumph
Coco Gauff is set to make her first appearance after lifting the 2023 US Open trophy. She will return to the tour at the WTA 1000 China Open, scheduled from September 26 to August 8.
Gauff had a strong start to the season with an Auckland Open title win. She did not have a deep run in the first two Grand Slams, with a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open and a quarterfinal finish at the French Open. Her performance appeared to dip further with an opening-round exit at the Wimbledon Championships.
However, the 19-year-old bounced back and found her form, clinching two titles — the Washington Open and the Cincinnati Open. Her crowning moment came at the US Open, where she lifted her maiden Grand Slam trophy.
The American took a short break and withdrew from the ongoing Guadalajara Open. She will next be seen on the courts at the China Open. This will be the first WTA event in China in more than three years after the WTA's boycott of the country over tennis player Peng Shuai.