Novak Djokovic Finds Deserving Place Among Youngsters Over Roger Federer as Coco Gauff Makes Blunt Admission

To become what she is in the tennis world today, Coco Gauff has taken inspiration from the best around her! Whether it be Serena Williams or Roger Federer, the 19-year-old has looked up to the stars of yesterday to make her game better. But do you know that even after idolizing the 42-year-old Swiss tennis legend for his perfection, there is one key element for which she looks up to his rival?

Recently, the 2023 US Open champion, who is currently playing in the Australian Open, talked about how, just to improve a vital aspect of her game, she is looking up to none other than Novak Djokovic. Let’s take a look at what the young American has to say about learning a key element from the Serb.

Coco Gauff looks up to Novak Djokovic for her betterment 

The fourth-ranked tennis player, after making it to the second round of the Australian Open, opened up in the post-match press conference about how she is working on her tennis skills. By talking about how she is putting a lot of effort into improving her backhand and return, she opened up about how even after idolizing Federer, she is looking up to Djokovic to have a good return on the court.

She said, “It just depends on the server. Yeah, definitely shortening the swing. I’ve watched a lot of Novak because I want to return like him. He’s probably the best returner. Yeah, he definitely is. I want to return like him. If you look at his swings on the returns, it’s not like full cuts. It’s a lot shorter and abbreviated to when he actually hits.” 

Not only that, but she also stated how she has a goal of learning to have a return just like him. Along with that, she also highlighted how he has worked a lot on facing big serves on the court. As Gauff enters the third round of AO, she will be looking to continue her winning streak against Alycia Parks.

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Looking into this, it won’t be wrong to say that the ATP world number one has found a deserving place among young tennis players’ minds, and that too over his opponent. But do you know that despite following the 20-time Grand Slam champion, there is one thing that she does not want to take from her idol?

Gauff can’t emulate Federer in terms of being ‘perfect’ 

Last year, during a post-match press conference at the French Open, Gauff opened up about how she can’t be as perfect as Roger Federer. She stated that in terms of responsibilities as a player, she tries to give her best at the moment, but it’s nowhere near the Swiss legend’s perfection.

She stated, “Obviously, I’m not going to be perfect. I mean, Roger, he’s probably the closest to that when it comes to that. I’m not going to be like that, but I think I try to be authentically myself.” Moreover, the aura Federer brings is something that can never be matched by any other stars on the professional circuit.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts about Coco Gauff taking inspiration from Novak Djokovic? Can they both pull off something big at this year’s Australian Open? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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