A Potential ‘Chink in the Armor’ Rings Alarm Bells for Coco Gauff as Former Pro Voices Concern Following Unexpected Loss

The reigning Grand Slam champion, Coco Gauff, has been stunned by the unneeded Kateřina Siniaková at the ongoing Qatar Open. Despite having a great start to the season in Australia, the American tennis sensation has now been knocked out after just the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament. In light of her shocking defeat, the tennis veteran CoCo Vandeweghe recently came forward to issue a major warning to her young compatriot.

With her stellar performances on the court, Gauff clinched the ASB Classic, while she also secured a semifinal finish at this season’s Australian Open. However, the 19-year-old has now failed to emulate her past performances in Doha, which has prompted Vandeweghe to make some bold assertions.

“Once all these WTA players see a chink in the armor”- American tennis veteran on Coco Gauff’s shocking defeat at the Qatar Open

In a recent conversation with the Tennis Channel, the 32-year-old WTA veteran opened up about how it is going to be “really important” for Coco Gauff to manage expectations going forward into the rest of the season. CoCo Vandeweghe said, “I mean, there’s nothing better than coming into the US swing of Indian Wells and Miami for Coco Gauff right now. It’s going to be really important for her to just manage the expectations going forward into the rest of the year. It’s a long year, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

The former American tennis player also discussed how players need to perform well at a WTA 1000 event. She said, “So, I agree with you, that there is no reason to hit the panic button. Yes, you don’t want to go out early at the thousand events. There are few and far between, and you really want to excel at those thousands. But we have to manage the expectations of Coco Gauff.”

Vandeweghe added, “Yes, she is a Grand Slam champion, but she is still very young in her career, and she needs to beat these players with fruition and not go down too much to these players because once all these WTA players see a chink in the armor as great as Coco is, right now, they will pounce on those opportunities and won’t be afraid of her moving forward at the Grand Slams, where everyone wants to play their best tennis.”

What do you think of the American tennis veteran voicing her concerns after Gauff’s initial round defeat at the Qatar Open? Let us know in the comments section.

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