As a Black woman, Coco Gauff is at a crossroads of age and maturity: Zina Garrison

Three-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion Zina Garrison believes that Coco Gauff is at the crossroads of discovering herself, both as a player and a person.

Gauff was recently in action at the Miami Open, where she exited the singles category in the third round following defeat to Anastasia Potapova. She, however, tasted success in the women's doubles alongside her partner Jessica Pegula.

The American pair, seeded second in Miami, won their third WTA 1000 title by beating Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend 7-6(6), 6-2 in the final. This was their second triumph of the year, having successfully defended their Qatar Open in February.

1990 Wimbledon finalist and former World No. 4 Garrison opined that Gauff is in the middle of “finding out who she is” and that she will eventually achieve greatness in the sport. At the same time, she admitted that the teenager is dealing with 'a lot' at the moment, including being in the public eye as a Black woman.

“Right now, she’s in the middle of finding out who she is—and how she wants to play. Coco’s time will be Coco’s time, and I do believe it will come. She is in the middle of finding out who she is."

"She’s at a crossroads of age, maturity, being in the public eye, being a woman athlete, being a Black woman athlete. . . it’s a lot. Everybody has their eyes on her,” she said (via Tennis.com).

The 59-year-old American believes that her younger compatriot needs “a little more self-understanding”, which she believes will come with experience.

“She needs a little more experience and a little more self-understanding to get there and feel good about it. Coco’s been surrounded by adults telling her what to do all her life."

"But the confidence to play that way, to step in at break point and bring pressure and get in the face of her opponent, that comes from experience and commitment. And that’s all on her,” she added.

Coco Gauff has won 15 out of 20 singles matches this season, winning the ASB Classic in Auckland. She is set to begin her 2023 claycourt campaign at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which gets underway on April 19.

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“Going to be an interesting couple of months” - Rennae Stubbs on Coco Gauff's split with coach Diego Moyano

Coco Gauff pictured at the 2023 Miami Open.

Coco Gauff recently announced that she has parted ways with her coach Diego Moyano after working together for a year.

Gauff began training with Moyano at the start of the 2022 season and under his tutelage, she produced some impressive performances. The 19-year-old reached her maiden Grand Slam singles final at the French Open and also entered the top 10 of the WTA rankings.

Given Gauff's success with Moyano, former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs has called the timing of the announcement “unusual”.

“This is going to be an interesting couple of months for Coco Gauff. The timing is unusual, considering how well she did on clay last year,” she opined.

Ahead of the 2023 claycourt season, Stubbs has predicted Gauff to be “a real threat” on the surface once again.

“She’ll be a real threat again on clay,” she added. “It will give her more time and a higher bounce, which will help her forehand. If she hits deep into the court, her athleticism will enable her to get to the net.”