Coco Gauff is playing arguably the best tennis of any woman on the planet right now.
But there’s been no silver bullet to overhaul the form that saw her crash out before the quarterfinals of both Wimbledon and the US Open – where she was the defending champion – within the past six months.
Speaking to the media ahead of Australian Open 2025, Gauff discussed myriad reasons for her spike in performance, which has seen her start the season undefeated and enter Melbourne Park as one of the biggest title favourites.
She’s feeling relaxed. She’s staying in the moment. She’s not being too hard on herself, demanding perfection. She loves her team, who have infused her with confidence. She’s committing to technical changes, with a long-term vision. She knows she can’t rely solely on her defence, so she’s going after her shots.
And it’s all been coming together on the court.
Former Australian star Nicole Pratt observed in ausopen.com’s Expert Picks series that Gauff has an aura about her right now.
“I think there’s a little air of real confidence about Coco,” Pratt said of the 20-year-old American.
“Obviously Sabalenka is on a roll [as the Brisbane champion] and she is probably going to be the one to beat, but I like what I see from Coco this time around.”
What we saw from Gauff was a sublime level at the United Cup, where she won all five of her singles matches in straight sets for Team USA and beat high-calibre players like Donna Vekic, Leylah Fernandez, Karolina Muchova, and, in an outstanding final, world No.2 Iga Swiatek.
“I had a great time at United Cup, super fun. Probably the most fun event I've ever played,” Gauff reflected.
“For me I think [I’m succeeding because] I have a bit more tools to work with. Also I think just going for my shots more, being more okay with missing, taking chances.
“Before, I feel like I won a lot of matches just being able to get a lot of balls back. I realised that's not the way to play if I want to have more success on tour because girls are hitting harder and harder every day, being more aggressive.
“I just feel like that was the difference, that I'm able to be aggressive, but also run around the court if I need to. Against Iga, no matter how big of a hitter you are, you're going to have to run a little bit. Aryna said the same thing. She probably hits the biggest out of all of us.
“I think you have to take your chances when you can.”
Gauff has been rewarded for this approach. At one stage she trailed Swiatek 1-11 in the head-to-head series, but has since beaten the Polish champion twice in straight sets.
These wins have come in a purple patch since the US Open, a four-month span during which Gauff has triumphed at Beijing and the WTA Finals and won 18 of her last 20 matches – including her past five straight against top-10 rivals.
Pratt and many others might have Sabalenka as a narrow favourite in Melbourne, but Gauff will be quietly confident against the world No.1, too.
The two are on course for a second straight Australian Open semifinal meeting, and although Sabalenka won that, Gauff takes a winning 5-4 record into that match-up, and won their most recent meeting at the WTA Finals.
Of course, tennis players do not look at draws the way fans and pundits do. Instead, Gauff is focused only on her first-round encounter against AO 2020 champion Sofia Kenin – a popcorn match-up scheduled for Rod Laver Arena on Monday.
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It’s a rough draw for Kenin, who meets another superstar opponent 12 months after facing top seed Swiatek in the first round at Melbourne Park.
But it’s certainly not easy for Gauff, either.
“I lost to her at Wimbledon,” said Gauff, recalling that surprising first-round loss in 2023.
READ: "I'm hungry to get back" says Kenin after Gauff upset at Wimbledon
“She's obviously a great player. She won this tournament. I think she's a great mover, has great groundstrokes, pretty steady player, can play aggressive, also play really good defense. It's going to be a tough match.
“I think it's good for me, though. I feel like every match this year so far has been against tough opponents. I think that's one thing I thank United Cup for, it was kind of the first tournament in a while, outside of WTA Finals, where I had to play a top player soon.
“I know I've been playing well, but you can't play well all the time. I know there's going to be some tough moments in this tournament.
“Hopefully I can get through them.”