Coco Gauff broke the internet when she won her maiden Grand Slam at the US Open in 2023. Winning a grand slam at just 19 is already a big thing to achieve. However, what many people think is the fact that she took too long to win a slam. Despite her young age, many had such hopes for her. Reflecting on the same, the former coach of Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou came ahead and addressed the issues.

In a recent video uploaded on his Instagram, he came ahead and talked about some key pointers that were crucial in deciding why Coco Gauff’s win at the US Open 2023 came at just the right time.

Serena Williams’ former coach talks about why it took so long for Coco Gauff to win a grand slam

In a recent revelation, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, came ahead and addressed critics who thought Coco Gauff took too long to win her first Grand Slam. He mentioned how people noticed Gauff’s talent early when she beat Venus Williams at 15. Mouratoglou then explained that winning a big tournament like the Grand Slam needs lots of skills and staying cool under pressure.

He said winning smaller tournaments, like the Masters 1000, gives players confidence for the Grand Slam. Gauff won one (Cincinnati Open) just before the US Open. Mouratoglou showed how Gauff’s journey and wins helped her grow, proving she deserved her Grand Slam victory despite what critics said.

“People have known Coco Gauff since she was around 15 when she beat Venus at Wimbledon and we feel it took her long to win her first grand Slam because the expectations on her at 15 were already huge. But what people don’t realize is that the Grand Slam is a marathon and you have to face a lot of different situations, a lot of different players, different game styles, face pressure for a long time, and for that, you need a big toolbox. because you are going to face a lot of different situations and you need to have the right tool at the right time,” said the former coach of Serena Williams.

“When you start winning Masters 1000, you have more certitude than when you don’t. There are exceptions but most of the time you don’t win a grand Slam if you haven’t been able to win Masters 1000 and Coco won Cincinnati just before the US Open,” he further continued.

Thus, Patrick talked about why Coco Gauff took such a long time to win the grand slam and how it is just a long marathon that the players need to run. While critics asked why it took her so long, Patrick suggested that it was just the right time.

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While the whole world saw the miracles of Gauff at 15 when she defeated Venus, Patrick saw the immense potential that she had back when she was a mere 10 years old.

Mouratoglou saw the potential of Gauff at just 10

In an interview back in 2023, Patrick Mouratoglou came ahead and suggested that Coco Gauff, at that time was so driven and so focused that it made him feel that she could become one of the greats of the game. The confidence that she showed drove the former coach away and he was highly impressed by her.

Not only this, he went ahead to add that the fitness levels that Gauff showed at her age were just massive. Despite being so young, she had the tendency to beat players who were much better than her. It was due to her competitiveness. This later helped her and she was able to defeat some of the renowned names like Venus Williams and lay her hands on her maiden title at just 19.

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