Coco Gauff labelled ‘the best ever in women’s tennis’ in one area as pundit assesses her season….see more

The former British No 1 declared Gauff is “the best athlete that has ever played women’s tennis” and argued this is the reason she has remained at the top this year despite not being at her best.

The 20-year-old’s victory at the Auckland Open in January is the only one title she has won since her US Open triumph.

The American was a semi-finalist at both the Australian Open and French Open this year, but she has endured a challenging run this summer.

Gauff has not reached a quarter-final in her last five events and she dropped from third to sixth in the WTA Rankings after her fourth round exit at the 2024 US Open.

“The problem with any success is that it buys you a bigger problem down the road when you don’t live up to the success the next year. But I’m afraid that’s the bar that the biggest stars in the game set themselves.

“Coco is the lighthouse for American tennis, both on the men’s and the women’s side, despite Taylor Fritz doing so well, she’s going to have to live with that level of scrutiny, and it’s not going to be easy for her.