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Coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes Coco Gauff is now officially a star, suggesting the 2023 US Open champion and Naomi Osaka could start in women’s tennis in 2024 fields form the next great rivalry. Gauff, 19, won her first Grand Slam title at this past US Open and now enjoys a career-high ranking of third in the world.
This summer, on hard courts, Gauff took her game to another level and won her first WTA 1000 and Grand Slam titles. At the beginning of the 2024 season, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to tennis after giving birth.
The 25-year-old Osaka has repeatedly stressed that she hopes to do better upon her return, with coach Mouratoglou believing the Japanese and Gauff may form the next major rival.
Mouratoglou: Gauff’s rivalry with Osaka could be exciting
“I think she’s a star.
To fully become a star, she needed to be a Grand Slam champion, and now she is. I think she can win more. She is absolutely exciting to watch. She has so much charisma, energy and positivity. I think she has everything it takes to be a big star and bring people to the WTA.
I think she’s a star. To fully become a star, she needed to be a Grand Slam champion, and now she is. I think she can win more. She is absolutely exciting to watch. She has so much charisma, energy and positivity. I think she has everything it takes to be a big star and bring people to the WTA.
I’m glad Osaka is back next year. I think she’s also very good in tennis and the competition between the two could be exciting,” Mouratoglou said of Gauff in a video uploaded on Instagram.
Gauff and Osaka have met four times, with a record of 2-2.