It seems Coco Gauff now has an extra weapon in her armoury as she bids to win the Australian Open for the first time. The American has started 2025 in stunning fashion, winning all five of her matches as Team USA claimed the United Cup, beating Poland in the final in Sydney.
But the tournament build-up for the world No.3 took a light-hearted turn on Thursday, as she teamed up with Andrey Rublev to take on Lleyton Hewitt and Daria Saville in a mixed doubles match.
The players all wore microphones for the exhibition clash, and as early as the third game Gauff decided she wanted to be taught something new.
“How do you grunt?” she asked Rublev, while preparing to serve. The Russian tried to be helpful with his response, replying with “I don’t know. Ehh? Bweh?” before Saville chipped in with: “It’s like Bwweehh.”
Gauff, 20, seemed happy with the help, vowing: “Ok, I’m gonna try that.” And sure enough, for the next few points she grunted loudly every time she made contact with a shot, as her playing partners followed suit.
Such was the volume of her efforts, at one point Rublev shouted “Alright! Here we go,” during a rally, shortly before he was presented with a forehand smash. As he was lining up the shot, Gauff cried: “You, don’t miss it. But where’s the grunt?”
Monica Seles is famed for being the first high-profile female player to grunt during shots, while Maria Sharapova was often lambasted for the noises she made on court. Serena Williams also raised the decibel levels on court.
The fun and games continued after the match for Gauff, after her and Rublev overcame their Australian opponents. After their victory, Andrea Petkovic accidentally revealed her opponent for the first round would be Sofia Kenin.
“I mean I just found out who I play,” she said, while laughing, which led to a grovelling apology from Petkovic. But unperturbed, Gauff said: “No, I don’t care. I just didn’t know. It’s a tough match for sure. She’s been playing great tennis.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk