Coco Gauff ‘standing on the shoulders of Williams sisters’ ahead of WTA Finals

Coco Gauff has once again drawn comparisons to two of tennis’ greatest players ahead of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. The 19-year-old has enjoyed an impressive season on the courts and is looking to add more silverware to her name following her US Open win earlier in the year.

Since bursting onto the scene Gauff has become one of the most talked about tennis stars in recent years. The 19-year-old has already reached the French Open final – in both singles and doubles – risen as high as three in the world rankings won her first grand slam title at the US Open in September.

Following her wins and impressive performances Gauff cemented her place at the top table after her Flushing Meadows win over Aryna Sabalenka in the final – which came aspart of a 16-match winning streak – and drew immediate comparisons to two other American tennis icons who also enjoyed great success at young ages – the Williams sisters.

Serena has been the most obvious comparison having also won the US Open in 1999 as a teenager – 17 years and 350 days. Venus also achieved greatness at a young age, winning her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2000 at just 20 years old.

And it’s the two sisters who US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster believes Guaff is set to follow in the footsteps of. “The next generation has arrived and stood on the shoulders of the great Serena Williams and Venus Williams,” said Allaster via Reuters.

“It feels like she’s been around for a long time. She’s only 19 – she is special. She is humble and kind, she’s hardworking. And she is very, very focused on winning.”

Allaster’s comments come ahead of the season-ending WTA Finals which is taking place in Cancun. The tournament has been marred in controversy after images showed the new stadium was still under construction just days ahead of the event.

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Gauff will be hoping to add more silverware to her collection at the tournament which sees her in the Chetumal Group where she will face Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova and Iga Swiatek. In one of the most interesting matchups, Gauff will play Swiatek for the tenth time in her career – having only defeated the Polish three-time French Open winner once at the semifinal in Cincinnati this year.

The American will go into the tournament full of confidence, which is something that Allaster is interested in watching develop.

“I am looking forward to seeing how Coco performs with, you know, a greater spotlight on her,” she added. “She’s had a spotlight on her for a long time. This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. We have seen her resilience.”

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