Three reasons why Coco Gauff will win the 2024 WTA Finals

Coco Gauff can win the 2024 WTA Finals despite being heavily favored and having a poor performance at the event.

The 20-year-old American will head into the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh as one of the top-seeded players in the draw, but her record against her opponents may suggest she is unlikely to win the title.

Gauff had previously competed at the year-end championships. In her 2022 debut, she lost all three of her singles matches with a set record of 0-6 and also lost all three of her doubles matches with Jessica Pegula.

Last year, Gauff and Pegula again lost all of their doubles matches despite being seeded tops in the tournament, but Gauff fared slightly better in singles. She won two matches in the round-robin stage and reached the semi-finals, but was defeated by her doubles partner Pegula, 6-2, 6-1.

She will enter the tournament again this year as the third highest-ranked player, and despite the odds, Gauff could win the tournament for three reasons.

Reported court speed in Riyadh

Players are already in Riyadh; most held a practice session in Saudi Arabia. According to reports, the courts at the event are playing fast, which should benefit Gauff.

She is the best mover on the WTA Tour and her biggest victories have come in fast and hard-court tournaments – the Cincinnati Open and the US Open last year.

With the fast courts playing to his strengths, the 20-year-old may have a good enough advantage against Iga Swiatek to surpass even his disastrous 1-11 record (his only win against Swiatek was in Cincinnati).

Form is coming for the tournament

There weren’t many players entering the tournament in better shape than Gauff. Aryna Sabalenka’s 20 wins in the last 21 matches are noteworthy, but the same cannot be said for Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova.

Swiatek hasn’t played since the US Open and the same goes for Rybakina. Krejcikova has recently struggled with tennis and retired from the Ningbo Open.

Gauff, on the other hand, won the China Open in Beijing in sensational fashion. At the Wuhan Open, she reached the semifinals before losing to Sabalenka in a match she could have won. He has won nine of his last 10 matches; probably only Sabalenka was in better form.

New wind in your sails

Afterwards parting ways Gauff, along with Brad Gilbert, began working with new coach Matt Daly. Speaking to reporters in China, he declined to detail the changes Daly plans to make to his game, but the improvements to his serve were already being felt in China.

In addition, she has had plenty of time to work on her game more since her exit from the Wuhan Open and, like last year, a new coach has seemingly worked wonders for Gauff, who can continue her winning wave in Riyadh.

He may not be the favorite or the top seed, but even at last year’s US Open he has yet to win. The same thing could happen at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.