Australian Open: Cori Gauff - child prodigy now against defending champion
Cori Gauff gets the chance to retaliate for her defeat by New York against Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open 2020 . In the second round, the 15-year-old American made a remarkable comeback.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 22, 2020, 05:08 pm
When Cori Gauff started her grand slam first-round hit against Venus Williams on Monday, the tennis freaks in the wide worlds of the Internet had of course been very careful. And immediately discovered a remarkable fact: Gauff had marched into the third largest stadium for her dramatic victory, in the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne. A large, significant venue, the third largest at the Australian Open, but actually the smallest where Gauff has ever played in a Grand Slam tournament. Gauff, this much-vaunted "child prodigy", has only participated in major competitions three times. In Wimbledon last year, she played three times on Court 1 and once on Center Court. The US Open, in late summer, went twice to the second largest seat, the Louis Armstrong Stadium. And once, for the farewell performance, in the world's largest arena, the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The opponent, who was face to face with Gauff at the time, will see her again tomorrow. And you don't have to speculate too boldly to suspect that the third-round game between 15-year-old American and Melbourne defending champion Naomi Osaka will take place on Center Court in front of almost 16,000 spectators. And a few hundred million fans around the planet, on the Internet, in front of the TV. Gauff against Osaka, it is curiously another generation duel between Gauff, the phenomenal whiz kid. And Osaka, a player who has just been marked as the leader of a "new generation" in women's tennis - after two Grand Slam triumphs and jumping to number 1 in the world rankings, as the first Asian player ever. "It's crazy how young she is," Osaka now says about Gauff.
Gauff nervous about Osaka
But what is even crazier is the number of heaven-striker Gauff who lay there before the eyes of the tennis world - since Wimbledon 2020, the tournament that was really noticed for the first time. A year ago, at the Australian Open 2019, they only knew the sworn insiders, at that time they were ranked 684 in the world rankings, Grand Slam games, appearances on the largest and most important courts in the world was unthinkable. "Grand Slams were a television experience for me at the time," says Gauff. Now she is not only there, but in the middle of the big game, already felt one of the main actresses. And one that accompanies great expectations at every turn, not least the hope of becoming the next big star in the industry, maybe even the successor to a certain Serena Williams. Her sister, Venus, defeated her twice in the spectacular opening round in three Grand Slam participations.
But even more than her victories, Gauff's early playful maturity, her clarity and superiority impressed her. And a willpower, a determination that really makes her stand out among the many hundreds of ambitious young women on the tour. Already in the All England Club, last season with their Grand Slam debut, this never-say-the-attitude had impressed, this unshakable belief in a chance, even in the most critical situation. In the meantime, this character trait is hurrying ahead of her as a trademark, and on Wednesday, during the match against Cirstea, one of these crazy catch-up hunts by Gauff was once again to be admired. She put a 0: 3 deficit in the third set unaffected, turned the game over - and now faces Osaka, against whom she had lost in two sets in New York with 3: 6 and 0: 6. One picture was remembered at the time, the picture of Osaka coming over to Gauff after the match and comforting the tearful teenage girl almost like a mother her daughter. “Back then everything was too much for me. The expectations, the hype about me. I was also physically exhausted, ”says Gauff.
Serena Williams as inspiration
Gauff, currently number 67 in the WTA charts, looks much more mature and more experienced than her peers, the rest of the Next Gen - without being old-fashioned. She is "simply ahead of her time", says Swiss Belinda Bencic, not too long ago the scene's child prodigy, "Cori is an exceptional player in every respect." The hustle and bustle of two adventurous Grand Slam appearances, she even won her first WTA tournament in Linz, Austria, after only being a lucky loser. During the winter break she trained hard in Florida and also met her idol Serena Williams for a few practice sessions. What Serena does at her age, says Gauff, “is simply sensational. It is an incredible inspiration. ”But working on the Williams career also led Gauff to this realization:“ I still have a very, very long time to develop all my strengths, ”says Gauff,“ I have to go up go quietly. I just can't go crazy if things don't go well. ”And if someone like Naomi Osaka is simply better, here and now.
Here is the tableau for women at the Australian Open
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