‘Not Afraid to Speak Her Mind’- Coco Gauff’s Bold Maturity Stuns Jessica Pegula as She Goes Gaga Over the 20 YO’s Transformation

Call it growth or adaptation, Coco Gauff has seemingly set foot in both camps. That’s Jessica Pegula’s verdict, just in case Gauff’s advancement had gone unnoticed by the tennis world. That’s probably one reason Pegula decided to join forces with the World No. 2 for several doubles contests.

Ahead of her defense run at the Canadian Open, Pegula sat down for a pre-tournament presser, where she addressed Coco Gauff’s growth. “I think she’s grown up a lot and matured over the last few years. I think now she’s much more sure of herself and kind of knows what she wants. Also, she’s hitting that age where you’re learning all that stuff, trying to figure out what you want, how you want it, you know, making more of your own decision,” Pegula shared, as reported by Tennis Canada on YouTube.

Well, the 20-year-old took the tennis world by storm last year. Gauff scripted a historical record at the Arthur Ashe Stadium by becoming the second-youngest American woman (aged 19) to lift the US Open crown since Serena Williams’ 1999 triumph.

“She’s not afraid to speak her mind and be very open and direct with what she feels like she needs and stuff like that. So I think that’s something that I have noticed over the last year and a half for sure,” she stated further.

For the unversed, Pegula and Gauff recently paired for a maiden doubles Olympics appearance in Paris. Despite producing promising results and previously bagging the 2023 Miami Open, being the first all-American duo in 22 years to do so, their dream run at the quadrennial event went south.

They were downed by Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova in the second round. While fans expected more team-ups from the pair on the WTA, they have seemingly put an end to their partnership for now.

Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will not be sharing the court at the Canadian Open

Enduring a disappointing end to their Paris Olympics doubles campaign hasn’t done favors for Pegula and Gauff. According to the updated players’ schedule at WTA Toronto, the duo will not be partnering up for another exciting team-up at the event. Although the 30-year-old is up for double duty at the hard court tournament in Toronto, her doubles campaign will house a different partner.

The American has paired with Giuliana Olmos for her doubles opener on Wednesday, August 7. Moreover, by the looks of it, Gauff has shifted her focus to the event’s singles column. She isn’t furnishing herself with a doubles participation. This means the duo could likely face each other in the upcoming rounds, as they did in the 2023 QF.

While there’s a possibility that the 20-year-old’s doubles non-attendance could help unleash her full potential at the US Open, her decision to not partner with Pegula raises some concerns. Could it be the outcome of a disappointing run for them at the 2024 Paris Olympics? It is difficult to say.

Gauff was the US flag-bearer during the opening ceremony and hoped to win three medals at her Olympic debut. Sadly, she had to return home without any. “At the end of the day, it’s over … I’ll try to take the positive out of it and do better next time,” she stated.

Do you think she will have a better outcome in the next Olympics? Let us know in the comments below.