Martina Navratilova thinks Coco Gauff could be a real WTA Finals threat if she feels her game, especially if her "Novak Djokovic-like backhand" gets rolling in Riyadh.
After struggling through the grass and North American hard-court swings, Gauff looked much better during the Asian part of the year with her improved serve. Firstly, the world No. 3 reached the Beijing semifinal before lifting her maiden WTA 1000 Wuhan title.
By collecting the Wuhan main glory, Gauff's confidence levels increased to the maximum ahead of the WTA Finals, where she returns as the defending champion. It is also worth mentioning that by beating Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan final, the 21-year-old American improved to a stunning 9-of-9 record in her finals played on a hard court.
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Navratilova: Gauff's backhand is like Djokovic - maybe even more powerful
Ahead of the second edition of the season-ending tournament in Riyadh, former 18-time Grand Slam champion Navratilova was asked to preview every player's chances.
She (Gauff) has played nine hard-court finals and won them all. Thats crazy. One of those was last year in Riyadh, so look out if she gets rolling again. Her backhand is like Djokovics -- maybe with even more power. Its money," the tennis icon told the WTA website.
When the serve is happening, its a real weapon, and Im glad shes figuring that out. Her movement is better than anybody else. She can always depend on that. Its the one thing fully under her control. She knows she can run and defend no matter what. Then she manages the rest. When she comes forward, she has a very good volley and its hard to get the ball past her. She just won in Wuhan, so she should be confident.
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Gauff won the inaugural edition of the WTA Finals in Wuhan after edging out Zheng Qinwen in an absolute slugfest 3-6 6-4 7-6 (2).
