Coco Gauff may not win a Grand Slam title ever: Pam Shriver
Coco Gauff has been warned by former American player Pam Shriver that the youngster might never win a Grand Slam title in her entire career.
Gauff, 19, turned pro in 2018 and made the tennis world take note of her when she beat her idol and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon. Her best result at the Majors came at the French Open last year as she reached her maiden final. Gauff was beaten in straight sets by World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who had a dream season in 2022.
A number of tennis prodigies like Emma Raducanu, Bianca Andreescu, and Jelena Ostapenko have tasted Grand Slam success early in their careers but have been unable to repeat their performances. Even 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Shriver reached her sole singles Major final at the 1978 US Open, where she lost to Chris Evert.
During a recent interview, Shriver suggested that winning a Grand Slam title was not a given for the World No. 6.
“I know how it is to burst onto the scene, the expectations it creates,” Shriver said. “There are simply no guarantees of anything - nothing.”
The 60-year-old added that Coco Gauff still needed to work on herself and that she had the potential to succeed on the tour, especially if she fixed her forehand.
“It’s not easy to overcome because everyone you play is trying to break down that side [forehand issue]. I have no doubt that they’re doing everything they can to get that solved," Shriver stated. "I just think Coco has to ratchet down the expectations, take it one day at a time and continue to be the professional she is."
"At the same time while still being a teenager and having some sense of normalcy in a not-normal setting. She’s exceptional, and I feel like she’s finding that balance. If you just go on her movement, her serve, all her attributes, she’ll win plenty," she added.
Coco Gauff to face Rebecca Peterson in BNP Paribas Open 2023 R4
Sixth seed Coco Gauff received a bye in the first round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She kicked off her campaign with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Spain's Cristina Bucsa in the second round and followed it up with another straight-set victory over World No. 54 Linda Noskova.
In the fourth round, the American is all set to face 103rd-ranked player from Sweden, Rebecca Peterson. The two players have faced each other once previously, at the ITF W100 Midland in 2019. Peterson defeated Gauff 6-2, 6-1 in the round-of-16 clash.