"Gauff is ready to compete for the World No. 1 spot"

Although almost a month has passed since the Roland Garros final, and even though the action at Wimbledon starts tomorrow, these two Grand Slams are so closely intertwined that we practically put them in the same basket. We are already approaching the final stages of the grass court swing, still reflecting on what we saw in the last episodes of the clay court swing. Mats Wilander, speaking on TNT Sports, commented on what happened between Aryna Sabalenka and Cori Gauff in their recent showdown, or rather, in the words they exchanged afterwards. Did the Belarusian do wrong by downplaying the American's victory?

“I don't think there's a problem with Aryna Sabalenka and her attitude,” Wilander asserts in his clear defense of the current World No. 1. “She is so honest that if she's angry, she'll speak her mind and then she'll be able to realize whether she should've said it or not. If she needs to apologize, she will, but next time she'll be honest again, so maybe she'll have to apologize again. That's why she's one of the current crowd favorites, because she's always sincere, which typically brings benefits,” asserts one of Eurosport's most prominent commentators.

“We can't judge simply because she's very sincere, in the end she's one of the hardest workers. She's a great competitor that we're beginning to see in her most complete form, merging that emotionally, physically, and technically refined aspect,” adds a completely enamored Mats towards Sabalenka. “She's as exciting to watch as any other player in the world, if not the most exciting because at any moment she can get angry and explode, isn't that fun? Aryna combines the full package when it comes to merging a great competitor with entertainment value,” insists the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

GAUFF'S LEAP

It's clear who Wilander's favorite player is, although the Swede cannot deny Cori Gauff's growth in recent months. Perhaps making it to the finals in Madrid and Rome wasn't enough to fully believe in her potential in major stages, but that epic outcome at Roland Garros has now made supporters see her in a different light. According to Mats, the American has found what she was looking for, although he bets that the best is yet to come. A contender even to conquer the grass of Wimbledon?

“I think Gauff is up there with the candidates to win this Wimbledon. I think her serve will only get better, as her confidence will also be on the rise. This time, it seems to me that she comes to Wimbledon with more confidence than ever. She has exceptional mobility, which will be a great asset on grass, where she will soon figure out how to execute her forehand to win. She's no longer playing to showcase great tennis; she's playing to win,” points out the Swede, another who now significantly considers Gauff when it counts.

“I believe Coco Gauff can definitely start competing to become the world number 1. I truly think so, simply because she is going to become much more consistent from now on. She was already one of the most consistent players, but she will rise a couple more levels after gaining that extra confidence in Paris, where she claimed her second Grand Slam title,” notes Wilander, once again proving himself as a leading voice.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “Gauff ya está para competir por ser Nº1 del mundo"