US Open 2021: Coach Patrick Mouratoglou on Stefanos Tsitsipas’ chances of Coco Gauff’s growth

The 2021 U.S. Open kicked off on Monday with a tennis Grand Slam calendar for the end of the year. This year’s tournament in Queens will see the sport watch fans without four of its biggest icons. Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal each came out of the US Open with injuries. The last time the U.S. Quartet was open was a quarter of a century ago.

Despite losing stellar power, the U.S. Open has many fascinating intrigues (Novak Djokovic’s calendar slam and career-seeking Grand Slam title leader, Naomi Osaka’s return and defending 2020 title) and young players up in the championship stock, including two players from coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Cori. Coco “Gauff and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

In an interview with CBS Sports, Mouratoglou told us about his players ’vision and how he helped grow the sport of tennis.

In 2019, when Gauff himself entered, he entered the public consciousness he beat Venus Williams at just 15 years old at Wimbledon. Now, Gauff’s breakthrough goes beyond juvenile championships to become a top player. Mouratoglou has known Gauff since he arrived at his Academy in France at the age of 10, and it was then that he learned that he was a special player. With Gauff’s steady rise, Mouratoglou doesn’t think it will be long before he wins his first Grand Slam title.

“It’s been a good year [for Coco]”Mouratoglou told CBS Sports.” Coco was ahead in the standings, but is now in the top 20 and has qualified. [21] In the open. When everything goes very fast, it’s a good sign.

“Every tournament goes more and more, so you feel like it’s coming. The game is just a marathon to get a Grand Slam and for a young player, it’s not easy to be consistent in a marathon, but if he’s able to be consistent, he can get there, a he can win. I’m sure he will win his first Grand Slam soon. “

Since gaining prominence, Gauff has been able to make improvements in his game, gaining more control in rallies and has been worrisome for the youngster in the past in his second serve job. Gauff has achieved his best finish this season at the French Open (Gauff feels comfortable in the clay after winning the 2018 French Open juvenile title) Barbora Krejčíková the last champion in a a close match in the quarterfinals. Nicole Vaidišová was the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam since the 2006 French Open.

At this year’s U.S. Open, Gauff beat Magda Linette in three close sets (5-7, 6-3, 6-4) in the first round, but received a rough second-round tie when they paired up with 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Experience was the winner of the pair’s first match of the pair and Stephens defeated Gauff in his lively hand. In the 66th minute Stephens won 6-4, 6-2. Despite leaving early in the singles, Gauff is competing in the women’s doubles tournament with partner Caty McNally.

Along with Gauff, Mouratoglou is working with another young and exciting 23-year-old player Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas is also entering the US Open with great force after a very successful Slam season. Tsitsipas is one of the youngest players in the top 20 in the ATP and next year Tsitsipas achieved his 3rd highest career in the world.

Mouratoglou, who trains with Tsitsipas ’father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, said that this year Tsitsipas has continued to progress and that this is shown by the rise he has had in the standings.

“It simply came to our notice then [to a Grand Slam title] because it’s number 3 in the world, “Mouratoglou told CBS Sports.” He played in the semifinals in the last two tournaments. [ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and Canada] two very close matches “.

Although Djokovic has dominated the men’s game, Mouratoglou believes that this year’s US Open men’s field is open:

“The pressure is starting to get very high [Djokovic] in fact, he is now playing for history, playing more than one Grand Slam [Federer and Nadal] and it’s in a position to become the largest ever, so there’s a lot of pressure. I feel the pressure growing for him. And at the same time, young boys are getting closer and closer in terms of level. Stefanos he played five sets against him at Roland Garros, [Alexander] Zverev won him at the Tokyo Olympics. [Djokovic] he also had tough matches against him [Daniil] Medvedev, therefore, the three boys who should be at the top of the future game are getting closer and closer to him. “

Tsitsipas, Medvedev and Zverev are now among the top three players on the men’s tour, having yet to win a Grand Slam tournament. Medvedev, 25, ranked 2nd in the world, is a two-time Grand Slam finalist (2021 Australian Open vs. Djokovic and 2019 US Open vs. Nadal). Zverev, 24, is in 4th place and is in the 2020 US Open (lost to Dominic Thiem). Tsitsipas, as Mouratoglou mentioned, finished second in Djokovic’s second place at the 2021 French Open.

Tsitsipas, in particular, is the youngest player to have defeated all the Big Three. Tsitsipas completed the achievement before he was 21 years old; he won five times in the quarterfinals of Nadal’s 2021 Australian Open, Federer won the 2019 Nitto ATP Final in London and defeated Djokovic in the 2019 ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai.

The 2021 US Open will be held from August 30 to September 12. The women’s individual final is set for Saturday, Sept. 11, and the men’s individual final is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 12. Follow him here with the latest information about the American Grand Slam.

In the first year, Dominic Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in five sets to win the men’s individual championship Meanwhile Naomi Osaka defeated Victoria Azarenka in three sets to take home the women’s individual championship. Thiem will also miss the US Open this year deals with a wrist injury, while Osaka is considered one of the women’s favorites.