Coco Gauff is back on the grass with her ‘A’ game! As the Grass-court season begins in Berlin, all tennis fans turn their gaze to the upcoming quarterfinal match between Coco Gauff and Ons Jabeur. It is almost like a déjà vu for tennis fans, as it was only a few weeks ago that they saw a quarterfinal clash between the two on clay in Paris. Although, Gauff emerged victorious that time, questions still arise whether she will be able to continue her winning streak against Jabeur on grass too. Some, like Andy Roddick and Genie Bouchard, might have reservations about this.
In the latest episode of the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, Andy Roddick, Genie Bouchard, and Steve Weissman engaged in a discussion about Coco Gauff’s upcoming match in the Grass Courts Championships. During the last segment of the show, the American Sportscaster, Weissman, asked the Canadian tennis pro, Bouchard, about her predictions about who is going to win the QFs match. She replied with, “Coco can become more comfortable on grass as the years go on.” Complimenting her “athletic” ability and defense techniques on-court, Bouchard also addressed 20-year-old’s as an “exceptional doubles player.”
With the hope of seeing her aggressive style on-court, she concluded her statement. However, when Weissman asked her, “Are you taking on Coco?”, Bouchard candidly responded, “No, Jabeur.” Surprised at this, Weissman turned to Roddick and asked the same question. The former World No. 1 expressed his opinions on how Coco Gauff can improve on switching directions and first serves. Although Roddick further added that Jabeur could not be “tricky”, his inclination still remained towards the Tunisian player.
“She (Coco) is one of the best break artists on tour. Jabeur is so good on grass. So I don’t think I can pick Coco, but I really want to.” Although according to statistics, the American player leads over Jabeur (5-2), Jabeur has a lead over Gauff (1-0) on grass. “I always say the more matches I play on clay, the more physically better [I am] and easier the grass season is for me,” said Jabeur in one of the interviews, “because the toughest surface to play on in tennis is clay because you have to be physically ready.” Whereas the 20-year-old player had a rough season on grass last year.
After losing in the early rounds in Berlin, she couldn’t keep up her performance at Wimbledon as well. Coco Gauff herself described her Wimbledon loss as the lowest point in her career. On the other hand, Jabeur has won two of her five WTA titles on the grass. Therefore, the stakes are high. However, Gauff is confident about her form. According to her, she is not the same player as she was last year.
Coco Gauff exudes confidence before her quarterfinal clash with Ons Jabeur
Compared to hard courts, Coco Gauff was less impressive on the grass last year. Even in London, the U.S. Open champion has only about a 67% win rate and an overall 70% win rate on grass. However, the American player might finally be ready to leave a mark on grass this season. After her recent comfortable victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova, her confidence got a huge boost.
Following a victory by 7-6(6), 6-2, Gauff said in a post-match press conference, “I’m a different player from last year. She’s a great player to play, especially on grass … so I knew it was going to be tough.” She further added, “I think for me, the grass to clay will be an easier transition than clay to grass, which is what we’re used to.”
Coco Gauff is determined to prove herself on grass this season. Therefore, one thing is clear. Whether anybody inclines towards her or not, there’s no stopping her from moving forward in her goal.