Coco Gauff faced an unexpected early loss at the Australian Open this year. It was quite a shock for the 2022 French Open finalist to come to the end of her Australian Open campaign just after the 4th round. However, the tennis veteran, Mary Joe Fernández, warned the 18-year-old about sticking to just one game plan.
Before the Australian Open, the world’s sixth-ranked tennis player won the ASB Classic in Auckland, adding another WTA championship to her record. Tennis fans were expecting the 18-year-old sensation to have a strong run in the first Grand Slam of the year, so her loss in the fourth round came as a great shock.
Mary Joe Fernández warns Coco Gauff
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The former American tennis player recently appeared in a podcast show called Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe in which she talked about Gauff’s early loss during the Australian Open.
Fernández also talked about, how the 18-year-old should not have lost against Jeļena Ostapenko in the 4th round as that was unexpected and issued a warning to the American tennis star.
She said, “I still felt like Coco should have won that match somehow. That’s not a player Coco should lose to. but that’s part of the learning curve and the process of figuring out if I cannot win this with A, how do I win with B or C? She’s got those options because she is so fast she actually has variety. But I love her instincts.”
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However, after facing a frustrating exit from the first Grand Slam of the year, the tennis star broke down into tears and shared her frustration with her loss.
What Gauff felt about her early loss?
The 18-year-old said she was disappointed with how her goal of winning the Australian Open ended. She also said that she was frustrated because she had put in a lot of effort and felt great while competing in the event.
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The world number six nevertheless tried to prove her mettle in the Double’s category despite her frustration. She made it to the semifinals with Jessica Pegula, her double partner.