The 18-year-old American reached the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on the back of wins against the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova and Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu. She will lock horns with compatriot Bernarda Pera on Friday in a bid to reach the fourth round of the Melbourne Major for the second time in her career.
Captivated by the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the World No. 7 recently stated that she hoped to follow in the footsteps of the two legends and build something similar with her contemporaries. Opponents that came to mind included Raducanu, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and Leylah Fernandez.
Coco Gauff also acknowledged newcomers like 18-year-old Diana Shnaider of Russia and sisters Linda Fruhvirtova, 17, and Brenda Fruhvirtova, 15.
“Roger and Rafa was my favorite rivalry” - Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff weighed in on some of the biggest rivalries in tennis history, like Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert, John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg, and Serena vs Venus Williams. But her favorite was the one between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The two icons faced each other 40 times on the tour, with the Spaniard winning their head-to-head 24-16.
What the American teenager was most impressed with was the fact that Federer and Nadal always shared a great friendship with each other.
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