First, some numbers.
Coco Gauff is 34-4 since she got a tough draw at Wimbledon and lost in the first round to 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
She had a 16-match win streak from the middle of August to early October.
She is undefeated in 2024, a perfect 10-0, winning 20 of 22 sets.
She played her worst match in aeons in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open on Tuesday against Marta Kostyuk, double-faulting nine times and allowing Kostyuk to break her serve seven times. And she still won.
All of this qualifies Gauff as “tough to beat”.
She is one the biggest stars in women’s tennis and arguably its best athlete. She grew up in Florida playing basketball and running track. Her father had her tossing footballs to build up her shoulder strength. She does not quit.
But why? What makes solving Gauff so difficult? What are her superpowers?
We asked some of the people who know best and Gauff herself.
The movement
There is a saying in tennis that strokes can be erratic but legs never go into a slump. Gauff certainly has that going for her. Her forehand can be unreliable. Her serve is prone to shakiness. She’s still a teenager. But she is the Energizer Bunny of women’s tennis.
“She’s moving really well,” says world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who has a 2-4 record…
