Coco Gauff Sends Out Stern Warning to Rivals Ahead of Australian Open 2021

Teen American tennis sensation Coco Gauff has shared a snatch of her intense practice sessions in Melbourne, ahead of the Australian Open.

From the footage on her Twitter page, it would appear that the 16-year-old is straining every bone in her body to get herself in top shape ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam.

Coco Gauff reached the fourth round of WTA Abu Dhabi

Touted as one of the best young talents coming out of the American women’s tennis circuit alongside Amanda Anisimova and Sofia Kenin, Gauff, currently at 48th, would be determined to move further up the ranking scale and a maiden Grand Slam title at the Melbourne Park would go a long way in helping her break into the Top-10.

Coming off a long pandemic-induced break, Gauff reached the fourth round of the WTA Abu Dhabi event before going out in straight sets to in-form Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari.

Though she couldn’t go all the way in the Saudi capital, her wins did give her a head momentum that she will take into the Australian Open.

And if her training sessions ahead of the Grand Slam are anything to go by, the round-of-32 exit at WTA Abu Dhabi has only deepened her resolve to open her Grand Slam account.

Gauff could be the fourth youngest to win a Grand Slam

A championship win at Melbourne Park this year would put her in an elite club of 16-year-olds or less to have won a Grand Slam championship. At 16 years and 117 days, she will, in fact, be the fourth-youngest after Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and Tracy Austin to have lifted a Major crown if she succeeds.

It would also help her upstage Serena Williams, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at 17 years and 350 days.

The tweet shows the American out on a practice court with her team, nailing her groundstrokes under the watchful eyes of her coach.

However, the focus seems to be as much on the groundstrokes as it is on building her stamina for the tournament, as there are no easy games in a Grand Slam.

Gauff is seen running around the court, striking her forehands and backhands, as her coach keeps lobbing balls to the far corners of the court.

Read More: A Serena Williams’ Grand Slam Record That Coco Gauff Can Break in 2021

The American will surely take a measure of confidence and belief from her performance at Melbourne Park last year. Gauff stormed to the fourth round of the Australian Open last year before losing in straight sets to eventual champion Kenin.