Tennis legend Chris Evert came out in strong defense of Coco Gauff, bluntly shutting down fans for their criticism during the American’s ongoing 2026 Australian Open campaign. Her statement surfaced after Gauff progressed to the quarterfinal round with a three-set win over 19th seed Karolina Muchova on Sunday.
Gauff opened the first Grand Slam of the year on January 18 at Melbourne Park, taking on Kamilla Rakhimova in the opening round. She cruised through the first two rounds with straight-set victories before being tested in the third round by Hailey Baptiste. Although she ultimately advanced, she dropped a set in the encounter and struggled at times with her execution, leaking four double faults and 22 unforced errors.
Gauff’s serving struggles soon drew the attention of tennis fans, with sections of the audience voicing criticism of the 21-year-old’s performances despite her continued progress in the tournament. In the fourth round, she went head-to-head with Karolina Muchova and once again dropped a set before finding a way through to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Although she secured the win, the scrutiny persisted, with critics continuing to point to her double faults and recurring issues on serve.
Evert backed the American, calling out the critics and urging fans to look beyond the constant focus on her serve. The former World No. 1 emphasized Gauff’s all-round game and competitive grit deserve far more recognition. She said during the commentary:
“I’m getting tired of hearing it. I think we need to celebrate the best parts of her game instead of just the serve,” said Evert.
Coco Gauff Shares Her Mindset On Progressing Further At The Australian Open
Coco Gauff has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where she is set to face Elina Svitolina on January 27 at the Rod Laver Arena. The American booked her spot in the last eight after a hard-fought fourth-round victory over Karolina Muchova. During her post-match press conference, Gauff was asked about her mindset about reaching the deeper parts of the tournament.
Replying to this, she said she views such moments as valuable experience, using them as learning opportunities to better handle challenging situations on court. (4:34 onwards)
