Coco Gauff, who made her debut at the age of 15 at the 2019 Miami Open, is happy with how women’s tennis has evolved over the last two seasons. When Gauff first started regularly competing on WTA events, she often found herself lonely, since among her age group players, she was the only player competing regularly at high-profile WTA events.
But over the last few years, there have been more young emerging players, taking the WTA by storm. Talk about the likes of Victoria Mboko (19 years old), Mirra Andreeva (18) and fellow quarterfinalist Iva Jovic (18). All of them have entered the second week of the 2026 Australian Open. Jovic was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
During an interview with Tennis Channel, Gauff shared the feeling of seeing her peers catching up with the competition since it was hard with how some of the seniors in terms of age reacted with her entry on the tour that early.
“Some players [were] just…I wouldn’t say mean, but it was stand-offish, and it was a different world than I was used to in juniors,” Gauff said. “So I think that was a hard transition of having friends in juniors, and coming on pro and no one talking to you.
“There weren’t many people around that were my age. It was very lonely for me, honestly. So, it’s great to have, like, more people of my age range doing better, so I can see them at tournaments more, because I had a lot of friends, but we weren’t playing the same tournaments. It was tough to keep up with those relationships.”
For Gauff, in terms of seeing people of her age shining in tennis and competing side by side, it’s a relief as she can connect with them more easily.
Coco Gauff Feels Awkward When Asked to Advice Peers
Coco Gauff is already a two-time Grand Slam champion and is aiming for her third major title at the ongoing Australian Open. In the same interview, she revealed feeling awkward when asked to advise players belonging to her same age group.
“The way people ask those questions make it seem like I’m way older than them and I have been around longer, obviously,” Gauff said. But yeah, they’re always, like, ‘Do you have any advice to give them,’ or things like that. I’m, like, ‘You guys, these are, like, my peers. We are the same. We are hanging out. We’re in the same age group.’”
Gauff has reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open after beating Karolina Muchova in three sets. She will face No. 12 Elina Svitolina in the quarters.
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