Another remarkable Grand Slam fortnight for Coco Gauff came to an end on Sunday afternoon with a three set fourth-round defeat at the hands of No.14 seed Sofia Kenin, but the 15-year-old’s performances in the women’s singles will live long in the memory of all those who witnessed them.
Gauff stunned defending champion Naomi Osaka in straight sets in the third round, cementing her burgeoning reputation as a future champion in waiting. Her performances have already made her a firm fan favourite down under, something she is still coming to terms with.
“I was surprised I got the Aussie chant today,” she said, looking slightly bemused.
“I don't know if it was because it is Australia Day. I really didn't think I would be such a favourite. The whole stadium was really rooting for me in all my matches. Hopefully I continue to get an Aussie chant. I guess I'm an adopted Australian now.”
While Gauff continues to show the tactical awareness and cool nerves of a seasoned veteran on the court, she still retains an endearing wide-eyed innocence off it. After beating Osaka, she commented "What is my life?"
“I don't know what my life is,” she said after losing to Kenin.
“I couldn't really write this. I don't think anybody could really write how this past couple months have gone. Even today, even though I lost, I still had a lot of fun.”
But for her opponents it is clear how much her game has developed, even since last year’s US Open. With an amped up serve and a lethal sharpness at the net, to complement her agility at the back of the court, her array of weapons continues to grow.
“My short-term goal is to improve,” she said.
“I still have so much I feel like I can get better on. I don't even think this is close to a peak for me. The thing I'm most proud of myself is how I handled it on the court. Even though today I lost a set 6-0, I was still believing I could win it. I don't think I showed any negative emotion too much in the match. I just tried my best.”
Because of her age, Gauff is still limited in the number of tournaments she can play each year, making it challenging to achieve one of her main goals for 2020 – to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. However, she is hopeful it will be possible.
“Hopefully I can get my ranking up and qualify,” she said.
“I'm sure the cut-off is French Open. I'm pretty sure I only have like three tournaments before French Open, so it will be difficult. But I'm going to try as hard as possible. I definitely do want to play the Olympics. It would be pretty cool.”
But this is still not the end of Gauff for Australian Open 2020. She returns tomorrow alongside fellow teenager Cat McNally in the women’s doubles third round against No.10 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara.