Coco Gauff is leaving no stone unturned in her preparations for the upcoming WTA1000 tournament in Rome, as evidenced by her rigorous training sessions at the Mouratoglou Academy. The young tennis sensation is honing her skills and fine-tuning her game under the watchful eye of her coaches, gearing up for what promises to be an intense competition.
In a recent video shared on social media, Gauff showcased her unwavering dedication and relentless work ethic as she put in the hard yards on the court. With each powerful stroke and precise movement, she demonstrated her commitment to reaching peak performance for the tournament.
As Gauff herself aptly put it, “Training hard is the key to success. I’m focused and determined to give my best in Rome.” With her unwavering determination and formidable talent, Gauff is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with on the tennis court, and her opponents in Rome would do well to take notice.
Coco Gauff in 2024
Ranked world no.3 (career-high), the American played her last match on the 29th of April when she was defeated by world no.20 Madison Keys 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4 in the 4th round in Madrid (draw).
This year Gauff achieved a composed 21-7 win-loss record. Gauff clinched 1 title in Auckland.
Having an ideal doubles partner is as crucial as a skillful solo play. Jessica Pegula’s withdrawal from the Italian Open has created a wave of uncertainty about who would be Coco Gauff’s new partner. Well, the wait is over. Owing to a recent announcement, Coco Gauff is all set to make her debut with a new New Zealand doubles partner this season!
After skipping the Madrid Open and Stuttgart Open, Jessica Pegula withdrew from the Italian Open due to persistent injuries. And this led Coco Gauff to partner with none other than Erin Routliffe, according to reports. This is the first time that Gauff will be playing with Routliffe. Apart from Jessica Pegula, Gauff has previously played with a few doubles partners over the years.
Among them, one with whom she recently found a bit of success was Taylor Townsend at the Madrid Open. However, apart from her, Gauff has also previously played with Caty McNally as well. But among all of them, she achieved her best doubles career title with Jessica Pegula.
Together, they have won 5 WTA titles! Not only that, the duo has also reached a Grand Slam final and achieved a ranking of number one and number 2 in the doubles ranking. However, this time it will be Routliffe. And not to forget her achievements in the doubles category as well. Because she already reached the career-high doubles ranking of world number 5 just about 2 months ago.
Although Routliffe’s performance in the Madrid Open doubles match with Ashlyn Krueger did not yield good results, it will be interesting to see how it goes with her partnering with Coco Gauff. But does the young American aim to keep on playing doubles?
Coco Gauff wants to play fewer doubles matches from next year
Coco Gauff has not had much luck playing doubles this year. Although she reached the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells with Pegula at the start of the season, the Miami Open then turned out to be a bust. Gauff revealed later, “I do see myself playing in the Slams the majority of the time in doubles.” However, there is a twist. The 20-year-old, who is vying for an Olympic gold medal this year, further stated, “I will say next year I do want to play a little bit less doubles. Maybe after the Olympics.”
But she admitted that it would be a hard decision, especially after she had found her rhythm with her partner, Pegula. However, right now, the main focus is on the Rome Open. And as her new partnership with Routliffe unfolds, it will be interesting to watch her perform with some fresh energy on-court.
Coco Gauff and her rumored beau have an equation behind the courtside whispers. The 19-year-old tennis player is quite active when it comes to appreciating her boyfriend and enjoying the life she has with him. Recently, the US Open champion shared a post-skincare routine on her social media account, and her rumored boyfriend demanded the routine from her.
Starting from spending time with him after tournaments to bantering over social media, Gauff and her rumored boyfriend have come a long way. Let’s take a look at what Gauff replied to her rumored boyfriend, asking for her skincare routine.
Coco Gauff’s “skincare buddies” want to know her post-skincare routine and the playlist
Recently, after facing defeat in the quarterfinal round of the Dubai Tennis Championship, the world-ranked 3rd-ranked tennis player dropped a post for her fans regarding her skincare routine. She took to her Instagram account to share a series of mirror selfies with the caption “taken post-skincare routine.”
Gauff was seen wearing headphones and glowing after having a good skincare session, receiving a request from her rumored boyfriend. In no time, her rumored boyfriend, Jalen Sera, dropped the comment over the same post and made a special request as her glowing look went viral. He wrote, “Drop the routine. And the skincare playlist.”
While the rumored boyfriend, who is a musician himself, asked for the skincare routine and the playlist that she puts on during that time, Gauff replied with a sweet comment to the request. She wrote, “@jalensera skincare buddies.”
Jalen Sera is quite active on social media, and now and then both of them keep dropping beautiful comments on each other’s posts. Just a few days ago, when she took her mom out for an adventure during their time in Doha, her rumored boyfriend openly praised her for showcasing her love for Motorsport in the middle of the desert after she posted several pictures from her adventures.
Gauff’s rumored boyfriend’s enthralling comment on her adventurous post
When the 19-year-old was playing in the Qatar Open, she was accompanied by her mother, and after the tournament, she and her mother went on an adventurous ride in the desert. The US Open champion dropped a post in which her mother was seen holding an Arabian Falcon with gloves on, followed by their quad-cycle rides, and captioned the post “Motorsport.”
Subsequently, after looking into the American tennis player’s new avatar, her rumored boyfriend, also commented on the post and called her, “Sandwoman,” Not only that, he also praised her, and wrote, “These last two posts really bring out the earthbender in you.” Gauff frequently posts peeks into her personal life, including her love life, leaving followers to wonder who her boyfriend is. Despite frequently mentioning her lover’s name in the last several months, she hasn’t yet disclosed his name to the public.
Rafael Nadal is a big fan of golf and he has competed in the Balearic Mid-Amateur Championship three times in the last four years, winning the 2024 edition by seven strokes
Rafael Nadal has taken home a different kind of victory as he prepares to make his comeback to the tennis court. The tennis legend is very fond of swinging a golf club and has taken part in the Balearic Mid-Amateur Golf Championship three times within the past four years.
This year, Nadal proved he was the best golfer on the course by scoring a total of 147 over two rounds, shooting just three over par. He beat the second-place player, Jaime Nicolau Olmos, by seven shots to win the men’s title. Ana Fernandez Ansorena grabbed the women’s crown.
In a chat with The Miami Herald back in 2012, Nadal talked about his soft spot for golf, saying: “I love the game of golf in general. I was watching all the afternoon the last round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“Golf is great, because you are always in beautiful places when you are playing, and the risk for injury, as you know, is very small.” Nadal’s own tennis journey, however, has seen its share of injuries, and currently, he’s working his way back from another one.
The beloved tennis star made his return to the court in January after being hit by a hip problem during the 2023 Australian Open. The problem got worse at the Brisbane International, forcing him out of the first Grand Slam of the year for the second year in a row. Nadal also had to miss out on the Qatar Open in February.
Rafael Nadal has announced on his Instagram and X accounts that he’s delaying his return to tennis because he’s not fully fit yet. He wrote: “I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans who have always supported me greatly.
“Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win in 2014. I will focus on keep working to be ready for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the amazing Indian Wells tournament.”
On March 3rd, Nadal is set to play a special match against fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas, which will be shown live on Netflix. He said: “I am very excited to visit Las Vegas for the first time, one of the most iconic and fun cities in the world. And I am thrilled to play with Carlos Alcaraz.”
Nadal is also planning to play at the Indian Wells tournament, where he’s won three times before, for the first time since 2022. That year, he made it to the final during a 20-match winning streak to start the season, which ended when he played Taylor Fritz.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and new Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner are slated to participate in an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia in October, the kingdom’s latest move into tennis.
Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune are the other players involved in what is being touted as the “6 Kings Slam” in Riyadh.
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All but Rune have won at least one Grand Slam title. Djokovic holds the men’s record with 24, followed by Nadal with 22. Alcaraz has two, and Sinner and Medvedev one apiece.
Nadal was recently announced as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation.
Rights groups say women continue to face discrimination in most aspects of family life in the kingdom, and homosexuality is a major taboo, as it is in most of the rest of the Middle East.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has worked to get himself out of international isolation since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He also clearly wants to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and reduce its reliance on oil.
Rafael Nadal has openly declared that 2024 is likely to be his final season on tour, but who are the Spaniard’s biggest threats to a triumphant ‘last hurrah’ at Roland Garros?
Nadal is a record 14-time champion at the Paris major, having lost only three of his 115 matches on the French clay over the years.
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However, after spending nearly a year on the injury sidelines, the former world No.1 is likely to be unseeded in May and could play anyone from the first round of the tournament.
So we, at Tennishead, have listed the five players that we believe pose the biggest threat to the ‘king of clay’ this year:
Novak Djokovic
It kind of goes without saying that at any tournament and at any stage of his career, Novak Djokovic has and will always be one of the biggest threats to Rafael Nadal.
Although Nadal has an overwhelming head-to-head over Djokovic on clay, the Serbian is actually the only player to beat the 14-time champion twice at Roland Garros.
The first of these came in 2015, when Nadal was on a 39-match winning streak at the tournament, however Djokovic put an abrupt halt to that in a straight sets quarter-final victory.
Nadal went on a streak again between 2017 and 2020, winning four titles in a row, before meeting Djokovic in the 2021 semi-finals.
Despite winning the first set, the Mallorcan was pegged back by Djokovic and beaten in a four set classic on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The following year, Nadal did get revenge over Djokovic en route to his 14th title in Paris, but Djokovic won his third title at the tournament in the Spaniard’s absence last year.
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Carlos Alcaraz
From someone who has a lot of history at Roland Garros in Djokovic, to a player with a relatively new history at the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz made only his third main draw appearance at the tournament last year, impressing with a semi-final run that ended in a cramp affected defeat to the aforementioned Djokovic.
The 20-year-old has become a constant threat at every tournament he plays in and is certainly not shy of the big occasion, leaving him as a big threat at Roland Garros in 2024.
Although they have only played on three occasions, Alcaraz has the most recent victory over compatriot Rafael Nadal in an encounter on the clay of Madrid.
And it is the clay in his home capital where Alcaraz has thrived the most, claiming the Masters 1000 crown in back-to-back seasons.
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Casper Ruud
Since being one victory away from becoming world No.1 at the 2022 US Open, Casper Ruud has not managed to reach the same heights.
However, the Norwegian has still been able to showcase his clay court prowess and reached a second consecutive Roland Garros final last year.
This resulted in another straight sets final defeat, but Ruud is undoubtedly one of the strongest clay court players in the world, with nine of his 10 ATP titles coming on the dirt.
Being a Rafael Nadal Academy graduate, Ruud unsurprisingly idolises the 22-time Grand Slam champion and does not appear to have overcome that obstacle yet.
In their two previous meetings, that include the 2022 Roland Garros final, Ruud has not managed to win a single set and won only six games in their three set match on Court Philippe Chatrier two years ago.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas
Like Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas has slightly fallen down the rankings in recent months, but is always a threat on the clay and was one set away from the Roland Garros title in 2021.
Not only does the Greek have pedigree at the Paris major, but he also has a rare victory on clay over Rafael Nadal, that took place at the Madrid Masters almost five years ago.
Nadal does combat this with three victories over Tsitsipas on the dirt of his own, but with the Spaniard’s lack of fitness it may be difficult to keep up with the 25-year-old over a best-of-five set format.
However, the Greek will be hoping for a better build-up to Roland Garros in 2024, having not reached a Masters 1000 final on clay for the first time since 2020 last year.
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Alexander Zverev
The final biggest threat to Nadal in this list is Alexander Zverev, who has been a match away from the Roland Garros final in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
This included a gruelling semi-final with Rafael Nadal in 2022, with the first two sets lasting over three hours before the German tore all three ligaments after rolling his right ankle.
As expected, Nadal has an overwhelming lead in their head-to-head on clay, but Zverev is likely to be very hungry to avenge the trauma of that aforementioned semi-final.
However, with Zverev’s pending court case expected to take place during Roland Garros his year, his mind may be elsewhere.
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Honourable Mention
There are several other names that we could have added to this list, including Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev, but our honourable mention is Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.
Despite Sinner not being known for his clay court game, the Italian has reached the quarter-finals of Roland Garros and won a title on the dirt of Umag back in 2022.
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With increased confidence in her serve thanks to some advice from former No. 1 Andy Roddick, Coco Gauff began her quest for back-to-back Grand Slam singles titles with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia at the Australian Open yesterday .
The 19-year-old American, who won her first major at the US Open in September, wrapped up the victory in exactly one hour.
“I was a little nervous the first set,” fourth-seeded Gauff said. “I think I did well returning, then I found my serve toward the end [of the set]. When I was nervous at 3-3, I told myself: ‘I feel good, I look good, so just have fun.’ That was able to relax me a little bit.”
Gauff dropped just one point on her serve in the second set and said that Roddick had recently given her some serving tips.
“It was really cool,” she said. “He’s a really chill guy. I met him before but never to that level. I went to Charlotte [North Carolina] for two days. It was a really good two days. I think that my serve has improved. He’s probably one of the best servers in history.”
Gauff will face fellow American player Caroline Dolehide in the next round.
Earlier, there was a surprising defeat for Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of Czechia, as she was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.
Vondrousova, the No. 7 seed, missed the Adelaide tune-up event with a hip injury and struggled on serve throughout, hitting seven double faults as she was well-beaten by the world No. 93-ranked player.
“I didn’t practice because I was injured,” Vondrousova said. “I think that was the important thing. I lost myself at the beginning.”
Yastremska, who had lost in the first round in her past seven Grand Slam appearances, had 26 winners.
During her on-court interview after the match, Yastremska acknowledged the ongoing war in Ukraine and how proud she is of the Ukrainian people. She was emotional in recounting how a rocket had struck her grandmother’s house while she was playing in Brisbane earlier this month.
“I think we just need to remember about it and give as much support to Ukraine,” Yastremska said. “But I’m proud to be Ukrainian, and thank you everybody for your support.”
In other early play, 19th -seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine advanced to the second round, beating Taylah Preston, a wild-card entry from Australia, 6-2, 6-2.
Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka will later make her much-anticipated comeback to Grand Slam tennis after the birth of her daughter. The Japanese player will take on Caroline Garcia of France in the first round in the last match at Rod Laver Arena.
Novak Djokovic believes ‘pressure is a privilege’ after Simone Biles withdrew from two Olympic events this week due to concerns over her mental health.
Biles highlighted the importance of an athlete’s mental wellbeing in elite-level sport after pulling out of the first event in the women’s artistic gymnastics final on Tuesday.
The USA’s most-successful gymnast and a four-time Olympic champion has said she wants to focus on her mental health and admitted that she had doubts over her own ability to perform, which could also lead to a severe injury.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is attempting to become the first male tennis player to win all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold in the same year. Only Steffi Graf has achieved the Golden Slam in 1988.
When asked about Biles raising the issue of mental health in sport and the pressure he is currently facing as he attempts to win the Golden Slam, Djokovic replied: ‘Pressure is a privilege, my friend. Without pressure there is no professional sport.
‘If you are aiming to be at the top of the game you better start learning how to deal with pressure and how to cope with those moments – on the court but also off the court.
‘All that buzz and all that noise is the thing that, I can’t say I don’t see it or I don’t hear it, of course it’s there, but I’ve learned, I’ve developed the mechanism how to deal with it in such a way that it will not impose destruction to me. It will not wear me down.
‘I feel I have enough experience to know myself how to step on the court and play my best tennis.’
Djokovic, who turned professional in 2003, also admitted he struggled with pressure during the early stages of his career.
‘Of course. It’s normal,’ said the 34-year-old.
‘No one is born with those abilities. Those abilities come with time.’
Djokovic’s won bronze in singles at Beijing 2008 but missed out on a medal at both London 2012 and Rio 2016.
‘Rio was a very tough loss for me,’ said the Serb.
I came into Rio also a big favourite, winning four out of the last five Grand Slams and number one in the world so I know that feeling.
‘It’s a kind of similar feeling now, but I’m a more experienced player and I know what I need to do mentally, and how to work things around on and off the court in order to feel the best I possibly can.’
NOVAK DJOKOVIC admitted Rafael Nadal “p***ed me off” with his “intimidating” pre-match antics.
The pair are two of the greatest tennis players of all time and have enjoyed a pulsating rivalry stretching back to their first meeting in 2006.
Djokovic leads the head-to-head record 30-29, although Nadal won their last meeting in the French Open quarter-finals in 2022 on his way to winning his 14th title.
But it was at Roland Garros way back at the beginning of Djokovic’s career that he struggled to cope with the pressure of facing the Spaniard.
The Serb legend lost to the all-conquering King of Clay in Paris in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
And he vividly remembers what it was like preparing to step out on to court with his great rival – who is set to retire next year.
Djokovic told CBS 60 Minutes: “I’m playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close.
“And we’re trying to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big and the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court…
“In the locker room, he’s doing sprints next to you. I can even hear the music he’s listening to, you know, in his headphones.
“So it’s p***ing me off.
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“Early in my career, I didn’t realise how all that is part of the scenario, right?
“So, I was getting intimidated by that. But it’s also motivating me to do stuff myself and to show that I’m ready. I’m ready for a battle, for a war.”
Djokovic certainly learned how to intimidate opponents and now boasts such an incredible aura that many players seem defeated before a point has been played.
It has led to unparalleled success on the court, racking up 98 career titles including a record 24 Grand Slams and now more than 400 weeks ranked as the world No1.
Djokovic won 27 of his 28 matches at majors in 2023, winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open.
But he came up short against Carlos Alcaraz in the epic five-set Wimbledon final on Centre Court.
The Serbian’s fury boiled over when he smashed his racket into the net post after dropping his serve in the decider.
But Djokovic used the painful defeat at the All England Club as motivation for the North American swing – including success at the Cincinnati Masters and US Open before wrapping up a stunning year by landing the Paris Masters and ATP Finals.
He added: “Wimbledon pissed me off so much that I needed to win everything on American soil, which I did.”
Rafael Nadal is playing to a “very high level”, according to his training partner Arthur Fils. The Spaniard is set to return to the court in 2024 for a farewell season after an inactive 2023 campaign marred by injury.
Nadal was sidelined for the majority of this year after undergoing surgery on his hip flexor but is expected to be back in action next month at the Australian Open. Two weeks before the Melbourne major, he is set to compete at the Brisbane International in preparation for the clay court Grand Slam.
The 37-year-old is training hard with Fils in the lead-up to both events and the messages being relayed back from Nadal’s young training partner to Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic have been very positive.
“Nadal? Fils wrote to me that he is playing at a very high level. I still expect great things from Rafa,” Ljubicic told Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.
Nadal comeback poll
Although Ljubicic expects “great things” from the 22-time Grand Slam champion, he is realistic about what he can achieve at this stage in his career. “Yes, Rafa will start again soon, probably already in AO24 (Australia Open).
“It is gonna be a big challenge because he is already 37 years old, and for sure he will face many problems and challenges. I think it will be his last year and a maximum of 12 tournaments. I don’t think he can do more.”
Nadal will be in the main draw of the 2024 Australian Open as it has been confirmed he will use his protected ranking for the tournament. The former world No 1 slumped to No 664 in the ATP Rankings this year having only accumulated 45 points but will automatically qualify for the tournament as he has a protected ranking of sixth.
Nadal will not be seeded though as per the ATP rules. Marin Cilic (21), Denis Shapovalov (27) and Milos Raonic (33) will also use their protected rankings to enter the draw.
