Teen prodigy Coco Gauff is aware of all concerning the strain that may be heaped on a younger and outrageously-gifted tennis participant.
It comes with the territory for somebody who in 2019 – aged simply 15 years and three months – grew to become the youngest participant ever to qualify for Wimbledon, then beat her idol Venus Williams en path to the fourth spherical.
A run to final yr’s French Open remaining solely confirmed the 18-year-old Gauff’s standing as the lady most probably to fill the post-Serena Williams void within the US tennis firmament.
But being the anointed subsequent massive factor in British tennis brings one other stage of strain altogether, as Gauff readily acknowledged on Monday after reserving a dream second-round conflict at Melbourne Park with Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu’s astonishing triumph on the 2021 US Open as a qualifier – with out dropping a set – was unprecedented within the Open period.
“I talk to her pretty much at all the tournaments,” stated the seventh-seeded Gauff after downing Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-1 6-4 on Monday.
“I didn’t really know her that well in juniors, but I’ve got to talk to her more on tour now.
“Obviously she’s gone by a whole lot of strain, bursting onto the scene, most likely greater than I’ve skilled, coming to win a slam.
“And especially I feel like being from the UK, being like the first British (woman) to do something in a long time, probably is a lot more pressure than what I’m used to being an American.”
Raducanu arrived at Melbourne Park beneath an harm cloud after rolling her ankle on the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this month.
But she seemed largely untroubled in a 6-3 6-2 win over German Tamara Korpatsch on Monday earlier than instantly switching her focus to Wednesday’s next-gen conflict with Gauff.
“I’m very up for it,” stated Raducanu, who turned 20 yr in November.
“Coco has obviously done a lot of great things and she’s playing well.
“We’re each good, younger gamers, we’re each coming by – a part of the following era of tennis actually.
“It’s going to be a great match.”
