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Former American tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez believes Coco Gauff should take a short break from her playing career to work on her forehand.
At 18, Coco Gauff already has an impressive backhand, which is a powerful weapon capable of putting her opponents on the backfoot. But her forehand is often found wanting; the American rarely gets enough penetration on the shot to finish points efficiently.
According to Fernandez, Gauff can afford to take some time off given her young age. Fernandez believes that that would not have a negative impact on her career, and instead could prove to be immensely beneficial for the youngster in all of her upcoming matches.
"I guess for me I feel like she’s still young enough. I feel like she’s still so young that taking six months off, eight months off wouldn’t be the end of the world for her," Mary Joe Fernandez said on a recent episode of 'Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe' podcast.
Fernandez also suggested that if Gauff can master her forehand, she will become a force to reckon with at the top of the game.
"Her serve Patrick is big, I mean when you see it live she’s got a big first serve," she said. "So if she figures out how to manage and improve the forehand all of a sudden it becomes a weapon where she serves and she can actually run around and attack with that side. It becomes a game changer."
The 18-year-old's court awareness and mental toughness are commendable already. Many believe that with continued practice and development, Gauff has the potential to become one of the best players in the world.
Coco Gauff says she only watched Serena Williams' matches growing up
Coco Gauff has often expressed her admiration for both Serena and Venus Williams. In a remarkable twist of fate, she skyrocketed to tennis stardom by defeating the elder Williams sister at Wimbledon in 2019, at the tender age of 15.
Serena Williams has had an immense influence on aspiring tennis stars, and Coco Gauff was no exception. The youngster recently disclosed how she only watched Williams' matches as a kid.
"I was just starting tennis. I really only watched like Serena up until probably like eight years old, and that's when I started watching other players," she said.
Gauff idolized Williams right from her childhood. As a young African-American girl coming up on Florida's tennis circuit, Gauff could relate to Williams at a level that few others could.
