Coco Gauff once said, “I get goosebumps representing my country.” We saw her getting extremely emotional when she became the first American tennis player to be a flag bearer at the Olympics. “It means a lot, truly,” she said at that time. However, now some of the fans are a bit surprised to see her missing out on the chance to represent her nation at the BJK Cup Finals in Malaga. Is there any specific reason behind this though?
Some of the best tennis players are currently enlightening the stage in Malaga. The BJK Cup 2024 Finals are scheduled for November 13 to November 20. Team USA will face Slovakia in their opening showdown on Thursday. The winner of this match will advance to the QF and over there, they could face Australia as their next opponent. Even though the top three American women’s tennis players Coco Gauff (3), Jessica Pegula (7), and Emma Navarro (8) are not available in this tournament, the team is still considered one of the favorites in this tournament!
Jessica Pegula is suffering from a left knee injury at the moment, while Emma Navarro narrowly missed out on WTA Finals qualification, but what happened to Coco Gauff? Well, for those who have watched this 20-year-old American’s performance pretty closely, there is no doubt that she has played some outstanding tennis this season. Gauff started her season by winning the title at the ASB Classic and also ended it emphatically by winning the WTA Finals. Although she struggled a bit in the middle, still she made quite a few long runs this year. However, we haven’t seen Gauff play any doubles event much after the French Open. Is that the main reason behind her absence at the BJK Cup?
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Well, in 2021 there was a moment when we heard Coco Gauff say, “When I play doubles, I start to return better in singles.“ She revealed how her doubles game helped her improve her playing style in singles. She had always wished to win a doubles title at a Grand Slam event. Throughout the years she came close to achieving her dreams multiple times, but she failed to achieve that until the 2024 French Open! She won the doubles event title at Roland Garros this year and after winning the title she revealed, “After I lost the first two (doubles) finals, I thought, well, okay, I reached that point, maybe I should focus on singles.“
Coco Gauff was spotted playing at the doubles event in eight tournaments this season (including the Paris Olympics). After the French Open, she only played in Berlin and Wimbledon, in fact after that she wasn’t seen in action at any doubles event. During the 2024 US Open, he gave a hint about her future in doubles competition. What did she say, though? She said, “I probably won’t play as much anymore. My goal was to always win a doubles slam. It’s kind of one of those things where I’m just, like, I don’t know if – I’ll maybe play every now and then.” Now, her choosing to not take part in the BJK Cup Finals makes us think, is it the main reason behind all of these?
Well, perhaps Gauff can only give the actual answer! Now, since the 2024 season is over for her, what’s next for Coco Gauff? She has played a total of 71 matches this season, so it’s perhaps the time for her to take some rest, enjoy her vacation, and get back stronger for the 2025 season. How optimistic is the tennis world with Coco Gauff’s chances in the 2025 season of achieving something bigger than what she did in 2024?
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After having a strong end to her 2024 campaign, Coco Gauff gave a confirmation to her fans that’s she ready to put in more hard work for the next season. Shortly after her emphatic triumph in Riyadh, she tweeted, “I’m eternally grateful for the life I get to live, and to have moments like this makes all of the hours and sacrifice I put into this worth it. Time to rest for a little bit but then it’s back to grind for the year’s season.“ The world number 3, won three singles titles this year! How many can she win in 2025?
Well, Andy Roddick is quite optimistic about Coco Gauff’s chances in the next season. He believes her recent WTA Finals win will give her an edge over others in the 2025 season. According to Roddick, “She’s (Gauff) going to sleep a lot better this off-season, and her steps are going to be a little bit lighter when she goes into problem-solving. There’s not as much scar tissue from 2024, she’s almost deleted all of it, and I think she’s prepped for a massive year next year.” Not only Roddick though, but Rick Macci also looked quite optimistic about Gauff’s chances in 2025! In a recent tweet, he wrote, “Fasten WTA seat belt as a new sheriff is coming to town 2025. @CocoGauff.“
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Though Coco isn’t here, but there is a huge possibility of her leading the American charge with Taylor Fritz at the 2025 United Cup. Both of them had a good season this year, so fans now have a greater expectation of them for the next season. We saw Fritz reaching the US Open final this year. Can Gauff come up with some extraordinary feats in 2025?