When Coco Gauff claimed her maiden grand slam title at the US Open this past September it was decidedly not an unexpected outcome. After all, Gauff, still only 19, had been touted as the next great American woman tennis player for several years, having been the top ranked junior in the world in 2018. And with her extraordinary athleticism, lethal serve and on-court discipline, it seemed destined that she would fulfill her huge promise at a young age.
But the question of whether her Open victory will serve as an immediate springboard into a run of slam dominance is another matter altogether. While it’s conceivable that Gauff can join world No 1 Iga Świątek as a threat at every slam she plays, it’s instructive to recall that many prolific champions of the Open era – both men and women – didn’t string together a bunch of major titles right away.
