Gauff Continues to Fall

[glenda]

Another terrible loss. Gauff's confidence is as brittle as burnt paper. So long to her World No. 2 ranking. Her current play I would rank in the bottom half of the top 50. Brad Gilbert needs to go

And forget about what Roddick said about Gilbert. I know how Gilbert comes across as a coach. He blathers. He over coaches yet doesn't inspire. He isn't worth a damn as a coach.

Nothing new I'm saying. Sure, some time ago, Gauff appeared to show an improvement with her forehand. Many credited Gilbert.

But I knew better. I knew that Gilbert would wear out his welcome. Gilbert likes putting himself in the forefront.

 

[timmyy]

Glenda? More like glee-nda

 

[nolefam_2024]

Do not talk bad about gauff. That fuels her.

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

She just isn’t that good of a player. America is always looking for the next Williams sisters. Sorry there won’t be any. They tried with Sloan and now Gauff. Nope

 

[Rosstour]

She just isn’t that good of a player. America is always looking for the next Williams sisters. Sorry there won’t be any. They tried with no Sloan and now Gauff. Nope

I sort of agree with this, we are desperate for the Next Serena and honestly it's insulting to her and the players we try to anoint

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

We don't need another Serena and that ego.. Gauff is still very young, she'll get more consistent. She lost today, but I think Krueger has a good future. She doesn't get much love here, but Pegula is solid.

 

[bluetrain4]

I thought the Cincy loss might drop her at least to 5, so then she'd only be a 5-8 seed, instead of a Top 4 seed for the USO - might take a little pressure off. Maybe she can regroup after she doesn't win the USO, loses all her points, and then can calm down from her long year and reassess.

I really wonder how she'll do at the USO. She can't be confident and there's a lot of pressure. I can see her losing any time between the first round and the QFs. Many might ask how I can even consider a QF appearance. But, Coco has often been a good opportunist with draws. So if she can get through two matches and gain a slight uptick in confidence and the draw breaks right, maybe. But I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[Mr.Lob]

For those that watched the end of the match, it was brutal, whether you're a Coco fan or not. Horrible u.e's. Lost 16 of last 18 points.
Looked like she's just overthinking her mechanics... or like she forgot how to swing the racquet. Fire Brad Gilbert. She's on a downward spiral.

 

[Mark-Touch]

I sort of agree with this, we are desperate for the Next Serena and honestly it's insulting to her and the players we try to anoint

I think it's actually more insulting to Serena!

 

[nolefam_2024]

Gauff is not failure by any measurement. Won a slam already and is younger than Sinner.

Sinner is not called failure.

 

[Robert F]

For those that watched the end of the match, it was brutal, whether you're a Coco fan or not. Horrible u.e's. Lost 16 of last 18 points.
Looked like she's just overthinking her mechanics... or like she forgot how to swing the racquet. Fire Brad Gilbert. She's on a downward spiral.

Seems everyone on TC, ESPN and other pundits is her FH grip is too extreme.
Whenever Brad talks about it, he seems to be the coach most accepting of it and trusting on it. So I'm not sure he has made many techinque changes, seems his focus has been more tactical and trusting her game.

 

[timmyy]

Her FH is actually better this season, as she's able to use the grip to put spin on the ball. Her issues are not mechanical.

 

[LeftyMagic]

shes more like the no 2 singles player on a college team. she folds like a deck of cards, 18 coaches, 30 ppl in her box, i cant wait to see the spectacle that is her at the us open. constantly jamming her down our throat. Yes shes very young. Yes she won a slam. I’m sure the coco fan club will fly to her defense but the whole crying on the court and complaining turned me off for good. theres no crying because a call went against you (even though she was wrong) as a professional. when she cried, the fan club said they are so proud that shes “advocating” for herself. lol gimme a break

 

[JJGUY]

I would like to see R1 clash between Gauff and Osaka at USO, whoever wins will get a huge confidence boost and will turn things around

 

[nolefam_2024]

shes more like the no 2 singles player on a college team. she folds like a deck of cards, 18 coaches, 30 ppl in her box, i cant wait to see the spectacle that is her at the us open. constantly jamming her down our throat. Yes shes very young. Yes she won a slam. I’m sure the coco fan club will fly to her defense but the whole crying on the court and complaining turned me off for good. theres no crying because a call went against you (even though she was wrong) as a professional. when she cried, the fan club said they are so proud that shes “advocating” for herself. lol gimme a break

There is no crying in tennis

Just like there is no crying with our capital one credit card

 

[Robert F]

shes more like the no 2 singles player on a college team. she folds like a deck of cards, 18 coaches, 30 ppl in her box, i cant wait to see the spectacle that is her at the us open. constantly jamming her down our throat. Yes shes very young. Yes she won a slam. I’m sure the coco fan club will fly to her defense but the whole crying on the court and complaining turned me off for good. theres no crying because a call went against you (even though she was wrong) as a professional. when she cried, the fan club said they are so proud that shes “advocating” for herself. lol gimme a break

I miss it when sport taught us how to handle defeat, build integrity and tenacity.
And this is less of a comment on Coco and more about how everyone around her makes excuses for her.

 

[travlerajm]

The player she lost to is rated ahead of her on UTR. Not sure this loss is newsworthy.

 

[timmyy]

She lost today, but I think Krueger has a good future.

LOL

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

LOL

You laugh at everything. She beat Vekic. Keep an eye on Krueger little Timmy. Did Lassie come home?

 

[GRASScaraz]

She's a pusher

 

[timmyy]

You laugh at everything. She beat Vekic. Keep an eye on Krueger little Timmy. Did Lassie come home?

I won't. Who's Lassie?

 

[ND-13]

i read somewhere that it was her 5th consecutive loss against top 50 players

 

[NYTennisfan]

She just isn’t that good of a player. America is always looking for the next Williams sisters. Sorry there won’t be any. They tried with Sloan and now Gauff. Nope

Gauff is way better than Stephens, that's an insulting comparison to her. She's 20, people need to chill.

With that said, she is overrated by American media in particular and I think the weight of these crazy expectations is starting to get to her.

 

[RaulRamirez]

I didn't watch the match, but yes, she's not in good form of late.
Does the American media often overpromote players in search for the next Sampras, Agassi or Serena? Yes.
Was/is there some good reason to promote Coco? I think so, although I certainly do not see another Serena-like career. Can she win more slams? Not assured, but I think so.

Actually, I think she has handled the sudden fame and attention well. She's 20, and still having a pretty good year. As to her temperament, at the Olympics, she let it get to her, although I think she had a very good case, as I think she has had in past situations. But not so much about sportsmanship as practicality, it would've been better for her to let it go sooner and not let it get her so down. Easier said than done. She's 20.

 

[ShinMezame]

Gauff is not failure by any measurement. Won a slam already and is younger than Sinner.

Sinner is not called failure.

Ever heard of Emma Raducanu?

A women's slam is not the same thing as a men's slam. Not even close.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Ever heard of Emma Raducanu?

A women's slam is not the same thing as a men's slam. Not even close.

C'mon man. Radacanu has won one title. Gauff has won seven.

 

[bluetrain4]

C'mon man. Radacanu has won one title. Gauff has won seven.

Plus she had way more deep runs in Slams. A final, 2 SFs, and 3 QFs in addition to her win. I'm not saying she's playing well, shouldn't be concerned, and that this isn't a critical juncture. But, I think it's ridiculous to view her as a total failure just because she's not meeting someone else's hype.

 

[BVSlam]

So strict. Her career at 20 years of age is absolutely a success so far. These losses happen all the time with every player. Even in clusters. WTA is always BO3 and understandably weaker serving means it's harder to dominate/protect your game consistently.

Sometimes the doom talk gets out of hand here. Or the Big 3/Serena career stats have ruined everything. I don't know why people want/consider her to be the "next Serena" anyway? They don't have much in common at all, Gauff has quite a different playing style and court demeanor.

 

[NYTennisfan]

Ever heard of Emma Raducanu?

A women's slam is not the same thing as a men's slam. Not even close.

The Raducanu comparison is just as ridiculous as the Stephens one. It's not just the one slam, she's also made a finals, 2 semis and 3 quarters by age 20.
You can't compare that to Emma who won one slam and did virtually nothing else.

 

[travlerajm]

C'mon man. Radacanu has won one title. Gauff has won seven.

Gauff is also the highest ranked player under age 21 by far, and unlike Emma, didn’t peak physically at age 18.

 

[johnmccabe]

We don't need another Serena and that ego.. Gauff is still very young, she'll get more consistent. She lost today, but I think Krueger has a good future. She doesn't get much love here, but Pegula is solid.

Combine Pegula's brain and mental with Coco's athletism, we get a strong player at iga caliber and very likable

 

[travlerajm]

Combine Pegula's brain and mental with Coco's athletism, we get a strong player at iga caliber and very likable

But Pegula seems to underperform in the slams, while coco overperforms on the slams.

 

[johnmccabe]

But Pegula seems to underperform in the slams, while coco overperforms on the slams.

That kills my last wishful thinking for American WTA

 

[MrFlip]

Ummm, it's WTA. Even Swiatek has no confidence outside of clay largely and does clownish things which all her fans defend.
If it weren't for Alcaraz and Djokovic, ATP not far off.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Ever heard of Emma Raducanu?

A women's slam is not the same thing as a men's slam. Not even close.

I guess, I don't watch wta tell me more

 

[fundrazer]

I guess, I don't watch wta tell me more

Easier to fluke your way to a slam win considering it's bo3, and they have a days rest in between matches.

Also, your post earlier comparing her to Sinner is pretty flawed for multiple reasons (including what I just said above). WTA has historically had players break through at like 16-17 whereas this isn't really all that common on the men's tour.

 

[sportsfan1]

Another terrible loss. Gauff's confidence is as brittle as burnt paper. So long to her World No. 2 ranking. Her current play I would rank in the bottom half of the top 50. Brad Gilbert needs to go

And forget about what Roddick said about Gilbert. I know how Gilbert comes across as a coach. He blathers. He over coaches yet doesn't inspire. He isn't worth a damn as a coach.

Nothing new I'm saying. Sure, some time ago, Gauff appeared to show an improvement with her forehand. Many credited Gilbert.

But I knew better. I knew that Gilbert would wear out his welcome. Gilbert likes putting himself in the forefront.

Yes the whole gilbert somehow working coaching miracles with his winning ugly strategy seems over hyped. He coached roddick for a year as well way back in 2004, but that wasn't getting him past federer either(admittedly a tall order).

 

[leodevlin]

But she is the face of women's tennis ,did you forget?

 

[tennis24x7]

She just isn’t that good of a player. America is always looking for the next Williams sisters. Sorry there won’t be any. They tried with Sloan and now Gauff. Nope

She is young there is still hope, just like Novak she is messing with some stuff will go back to what it was and will get up again. But she is no Serena, may match Venus.

 

[tennis24x7]

Yes the whole gilbert somehow working coaching miracles with his winning ugly strategy seems over hyped. He coached roddick for a year as well way back in 2004, but that wasn't getting him past federer either(admittedly a tall order).

The problem with Roddick or any American player is that, if they hit a great serve, they think they will be instant GS winners. That ship sailed with Sampras. No matter how good you hit a serve, the ball always will come back from top 3.
I feel Roddick could have got atleast one Wimbledon from Fed if he had tried to rally a bit and improve his back hand a bit.

 

[weakera]

She just isn’t that good of a player. America is always looking for the next Williams sisters. Sorry there won’t be any. They tried with Sloan and now Gauff. Nope

There will absolutely be another dominant American female tennis player.

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

There will absolutely be another dominant American female tennis player.

They usually dont get into tennis. It’s team sports , gymnastics, Olympic crap etc

Tennis is yesterday’s news in the U.S. it’s lost all its popularity since the 1980s-2000’s. Too expensive to get into and you can make a more
Lucrative career doing something else if you’re athletically inclined

 

[MichaelNadal]

Glenda? More like glee-nda

I get it

 

[weakera]

They usually dont get into tennis. It’s team sports , gymnastics, Olympic crap etc

Tennis is yesterday’s news in the U.S. it’s lost all its popularity since the 1980s-2000’s. Too expensive to get into and you can make a more
Lucrative career doing something else if you’re athletically inclined

You seem deeply confused. There is a big difference between men's and women's tennis as it pertains to the USA. Even now 5 of the top-14 ladies are American.

Please try naming an American sport more lucrative for women than tennis LOL

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

They usually dont get into tennis. It’s team sports , gymnastics, Olympic crap etc

Tennis is yesterday’s news in the U.S. it’s lost all its popularity since the 1980s-2000’s. Too expensive to get into and you can make a more
Lucrative career doing something else if you’re athletically inclined

The tennis growth curve is flat, so it hasn't lost all it's popularity. Very inexpensive to play in my area. Over 120 free public courts. Pick up a used good racket for $50.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

You seem deeply confused. There is a big difference between men's and women's tennis as it pertains to the USA. Even now 5 of the top-14 ladies are American.

Please try naming an American sport more lucrative for women than tennis LOL

Possibly golf. There are unused golf scholarships available for girls at colleges in the US.

 

[D-Lite]

Gauff needs to fix her forehand pronto. All the top players know how to play her, and anyone riding momentum into these big events has a good shot at her if she's not also on a hot streak. Now she's a major champ that also comes with a lot of pressure, especially as an American when the US men are not getting beyond GS QF stage often. I also feel the gap left by Serena in the US has been forcefully filled using Gauff which isn't her fault but she's nowhere near the player even Venus, let alone Serena. Gauff would do extremely well to end her career with 3-4 majors. I expect she will win another in the next few years but with players coming up all the time it may not just be Swiatek who is her nemesis soon. She's also managed to avoid playing Rybakina a lot - I feel her rivalries are with Swiatek (albeit lopsided) and Sabalenka (who seems the more likely victor nowadays).

Based on her current form, it's going to take a few hard fought matches in the early rounds to turn this confidence/momentum issue around and then we will see if she can handle the pressure to defend her title. I will be surprised if she goes past R4 frankly, and that would most likely be down to a cakewalk draw.

Another point, I do wonder if the Olympic flag bearer title affected her. She's been handed a lot of pressure and hype simply through being American which I can imagine is a lot to handle and not her doing. LeBron is part of a team whereas Gauff is a solo athlete. The US have also dominated basketball at the Games so he had that level of protection around him through his teammates. Now I'm not a basketball follower so I'm sure it's more complex than that but I do wonder if that was a lot for her to handle.

 

[weakera]

Possibly golf. There are unused golf scholarships available for girls at colleges in the US.

Prize money is bigger in tennis.

 

[Bill Lobsalot]

Prize money is bigger in tennis.

Yep. #50 WTA 682k. LPGA 482K for 2024.

 

[ErrorMachine]

Just my opinion. She has more of a power game versus Brad’s winning ugly approach. I feel someone like Kim Clijsters could help.