"She's only 18, let her have some fun" - Lindsay Davenport defends Coco Gauff after WTA Finals exit

Coco Gauff suffered a second straight defeat at the 2022 WTA Finals — her fourth of the week if you count doubles — to bow out of contention for the year-end championships' trophy. After losing her opener at the event to Caroline Garcia in straight sets, the American suffered a defeat against Daria Kasatkina on Thursday.

Speaking about Gauff's recent form, former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, in an interview with The Tennis Channel, remarked that the stress of having to play a full season on tour for the first time seemed to have gotten to her.

Pointing out that 2022 was the first season where Gauff, 18, played tournaments without being under the age eligibility, Davenport opined that Gauff had looked "exhausted" of late. At the same time, she hoped that the end of the season would bring the youngster some joy, with one more match at the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup left in Gauff's calendar.

"It's the first season that Coco Gauff's not under the age eligibility," Davenport said "She's played over 20 tournaments, she's looked exhausted. She's kind of looked the same and Guadalajara, and I think for a player that was such a great junior, it's been so fun to get to the top."

"But also, you're normally, you don't take five losses in a row," she continued. "Yeah, two in Guadalajara with the singles and the doubles. And then you start here with losing two doubles and the other singles, I think it's a lot for her. I actually hope maybe her season is done tonight. She goes back, she's only 18. Let her have some fun, and we want to see her playing with a smile."

Shifting her focus onto Gauff's game. Davenport said the attention has shifted from her serve and double faults to her forehand — her most notable weakness at this point.

"You know, in the beginning that we were always wondering about Coco Gauff's second serve and the double faults and we were tracking those in matches," Davenport said. "And this season, it's shifted more to the forehand and it just seemed to all come out after she lost that."

"First set, really tough scenes on that changeover, she was sobbing," the former World No. 1 continued. "And, you know, you never want to see this with a player, especially a young player."

Coco Gauff to play Iga Swiatek in final singles match at the WTA Finals

Coco Gauff after losing to Daria Kasatkina at the WTA Finals.

Coco Gauff will take on World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in her final singles match of the season. The American has so far accumulated a 38-21 win-loss record, a career-best in her young career.

The Pole, meanwhile, will be eyeing a staggering 67th match win when she steps out on the court against Gauff. Swiatek holds a comfortable 4-0 margin over Gauff in their current head-to-head, and has already qualified for the knockouts of the WTA Finals.