American tennis star Coco Gauff has pushed back against the notion of a supposed big gap between men and women in the sport, stating that it’s “not as big as people think.”
Gauff’s comment came after her recent success in mixed doubles competitions, where she showed the world her ability to perform at an elite level against male players.
Coco Gauff is currently chasing her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and left her thoughts after a commanding first-round victory over Sofia Kenin.
She defeated her opponent 6-3, 6-3 in 80 minutes, setting up a second-round clash with Britain’s Jodie Burrage on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old is off to a strong start in 2025, as she’s won 11 of her last 12 Grand Slam first-round matches.
She entered the Australian Open riding high after helping Team USA grab the United Cup in Sydney with good wins over China, Czechia and Poland.
A key highlight of the United Cup was Gauff’s victory over world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, as it marked her second straight win over the Polish star.
That result solidified Gauff’s status as a key contender in Melbourne and set up the potential for a high-stakes rematch in the tournament’s final.
The United Cup also featured mixed doubles play, and Gauff teamed up with Taylor Fritz to compete against pairings like Swiatek and Jan Zielinski, as well as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez.
The format provided some thrilling moments for fans all over the world, including a viral rally where Swiatek beat Casper Ruud.
Coco Gauff reflected on her experience and said she loved the idea of taking on male players in tennis.
“Yeah, it was super fun,” she said after her win over Kenin. “Playing the mixed, it was super fun. It was fun and satisfying. For me, the most satisfying, honestly, was when I was playing Felix, and he was rocketing forehands at me, and I was volleying them back. I don’t know, I just felt good.”
She then went on to address the gender gap in tennis and emphasized that women are more competitive with men than many believe.
“People think online that it’s this big of a gap. I mean, it is, obviously, but I have played baseline points with guys. Sometimes I win,” Gauff said.
“Sometimes I played against Frances [Tiafoe] and won. Same against Chris [Eubanks]. I practiced with Taylor [Fritz] a couple of times at the United Cup, and he was like, ‘Oh, that was one of the best hits I’ve had.’
“All the guys were just trying to hit as hard as they could to the girl, but honestly, I think some of us were volleying better than the guys. I for sure was volleying better than Taylor, but he definitely was serving better than me.”
Gauff’s remarkable performances at the United Cup earned her the competition’s MVP honors. However, her gaze is now fully fixed on the Australian Open, as she aims to surpass her semifinal finish in 2024, where she fell to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
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The two are projected to meet again at the same stage this year, but many believe great Gauff’s form could prove to be the difference between should that highly-anticipated match happen.
