After the 2024 Italian Open, Coco Gauff acknowledged that the possibility of rising to the second spot in the world does not inspire her.
Although Gauff had previously held the top ranking in tennis, it was in doubles, and it still stands as her greatest ranking-related accomplishment to date. Although it is great to have the number one next to her name, she genuinely wants to be the world’s top single.
She has a chance to get there, but in order to accomplish so, she will require some exceptional outcomes in the upcoming months. Gauff is now 185 points behind Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the WTA Tour.
There are several ways in which the United States could become the world’s second-best country. Reaching the final is a must for both. A single match in the semifinals is all Gauff needs to secure the second-best ranking in the world if Sabalenka loses.
But if the Belarusian advances to the championship round, it will be up to the 20-year-old to win the match and claim the second-best ranking in the world. To do this, she would need to completely outperform her opponent. Nevertheless, the 2023 US Open champion acknowledged that it was not her driving force when speaking with the Tennis Channel regarding the world no. 2 ranking.
“To be honest, not really. I’ve never been someone who makes rankings. Ranking second would be awesome and an honor, but I’m more interested in tournaments and collecting as many trophies as I can for my cabinet; ranking will follow.
Although I believe that number one would be quite remarkable, I honestly don’t really care that much between numbers two or three.”
For many tennis players, ranking third is a fantastic accomplishment; ranking second is obviously greater, but ultimately, the top spot is the unique one that they are all aiming for.
The objective is to win the event this week. Every week she plays, she keeps this objective in mind. Gauff takes this approach to her career: if she wins enough of them in a calendar year, she will be crowned the winner.
