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Jimmy Connors feels world No 6 Cori Gauff is "on the right track" to soon land a Grand Slam title. Gauff, 19, started her summer on hard courts in quite a style, winning a WTA 500 event in Washington and then also her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati.
Gauff is in great form and many have the 19-year-old among the top favorites for the US Open title. Connors, a former eight-time Grand Slam champion, thinks Gauff or Jessica Pegula might make a big Grand Slam breakthrough at the US Open. "Well I mean you got to go step-by-step.
You know, win a 250 then you want to win a 500, then you win a 1000, but then you need to win a Grand Slam, the Grand Slam set you apart and in a different category. So you know the steps that Coco Gauff's taking and Jessica Pegula that they're taking.
They're on the right track, you know, but the next step is winning a Grand Slam," Connors said on his Advantage Connors podcast.
Connors on the importance of Gauff's win over Iga Swiatek
In Cincinnati, Gauff clinched her first win over Swiatek en route to winning the title.
In the past, Gauff lost a few Grand Slam matches against Swiatek - most notably in the 2022 French Open final. At this year's US Open, Gauff and Swiatek could potentially meet in the quarterfinal. If that happens, Connors expects Gauff to play with lots of confidence. "Coco Gauff has a good victory [over Iga Swiatek], a good victory, a confidence victory, big time.
You know, that kind of sets, you know, the past losses aside that I've got the last win over you. Now, if I meet you in the US open I've got I've got the one up. Confidence is the big thing. It's a big thing knowing, you know, knowing what you've been doing the right thing," Connors said.