Davenport selects Gauff over the field as next American Major titlist

With the future of US tennis looking brighter, former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport has picked tennis prodigy Coco Gauff as the next American woman to win a Grand Slam title.

The 2024 US Open kicks off on August 26, with Gauff heading in as the defending champion. The Atlanta native played the best tennis of her career en route to lifting her maiden Grand Slam title in New York, defeating Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in a hard-hitting final in Arthur Ashe stadium.

The three-time Grand Slam champion made an appearance on The Tennis Channel, where she evaluated the singles draw ahead of the US Open. With the US producing some exciting talent such as Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and Madison Keys, Davenport believes Gauff is the most likely to win a Grand Slam title sometime in the future.

However, Davenport stated Gauff would have to strengthen her mentality if she hopes to defend her title. The 20-year old suffered an emotional breakdown during her loss to Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics, which hindered her play in the second set.

“(The American woman) to win a Major again, it’s Coco Gauff who has the best chance,” said Davenport. “We saw Sabalenka defend her Australian Open title at the start of the year. Can Coco go two in a row at the US Open? But she’s got to do it with an even mindset, get that back.”