The North American hard court season is officially underway, and all eyes are once again on Coco Gauff. After her historic US Open triumph last year, the young star has navigated the tennis circuit with a mix of success and challenges. As speculation mounts about the next grand slam champion, tennis legend Pam Shriver confidently named Gauff as a top contender. However, Shriver’s endorsement came with certain qualifications.

Tennis Channel Live featured Shriver in a discussion on Friday. The discussion began with a spotlight on the impressive lineup of American women dominating the top 15 rankings. Gauff led the charge at number two, followed by Jessica Pegula(#6), Danielle Collins(#8), Madison Keys(#14), and Emma Navarro(#15). While everyone acknowledged the remarkable rise of all five players, there was a particular buzz around Gauff’s recent form, especially her strong performance at the ongoing Canadian Open. The top-seeded Gauff effortlessly dispatched Yafan Wang in the second round, marking her first hard-court match since Miami Open and setting the stage for her US Open title defense.

Shortly after, Shriver was asked about which tennis star has the best shot at the US Open this year. To which she said, “To win a major, again, I agree it’s Coco Gauff who has the best chance.” The former pro drew comparison with Aryna Sabalenka who swiftly defended her Australian Open title back in January. She took down Qinwen Zheng in the finals and therefore claimed a massive win, without even dealing with a sense of pressure.

“We saw Sabalenka defend her Australian Open title at the start of this year. Can Coco go two in a row at the US Open? But she’s got to do it with that even mindset. Get that back.” As for Sabalenka’s National Bank Open run, she faced Yue Yuan in Thursday night session, handing the Chinese player a straight set defeat.

Gauff’s recent experience at the Paris Olympics came as a big test for her mental toughness. During her singles showdown against Donna Vekić, a controversial line call on Gauff’s baseline was initially deemed out, but the chair umpire overruled the decision and therefore awarded Vekić a crucial break point. Gauff argued passionately with the officials and was later seen wiping away her tears as the match was paused for several minutes. “I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court. It’s frustrating when the sorry doesn’t help you once the match is over,” she said, as soon as things started heating up.

This incident left Gauff in a mental trauma because of which she was seen dealing with intense levels of emotions. Despite this, Gauff remains hopeful for the future. Reflecting on her Olympic debut, she shared, “I had a great experience. I mean, it was from not being able to go to Tokyo to be able to go here, I just feel like, you know, LA (2028), I’ll hopefully be on the podium.” Showing acceptance of what happened, the young champ added, “I just feel like that’s what life consists of—having a disappointing result and then the next time is like the best thing in the world.”

As Shriver highlighted a sheer need for an even mindset in Gauff, her conclusive statement at the Paris Olympics makes it clear that she has left the past behind and is now looking forward to the future.

Gauff tries to remain positive ahead of the US Open

Gauff made it clear before heading to Paris that her goal was to win an Olympic medal at the Summer Games. She seemed to be highly determined in the singles competition, where she was being considered as one of the top contenders, considering her recent achievement at the French Open. However, Gauff didn’t manage to win a medal in the women’s or mixed doubles, and her quest for gold in singles ended on an emotional note.

Despite not winning an Olympic medal, Gauff’s experience was still valuable. She had the honor of serving as the US Olympic team’s flag bearer alongside LeBron James, an achievement that she would remember for a lifetime. Reflecting on her experience, Gauff said, “I think I’m just trying to learn from this experience, and overall, it was positive. I would 100% choose to do it again, even if I lost the first round in everything. Being a flag bearer was something I wouldn’t have expected.”

As the upcoming events approach, Gauff has cleared the air about carrying mental trauma from the Paris Olympics loss.