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But now, the 18-year-old has what it takes to break through and win her very first Grand Slam tournament, according to Tracy Austin.
And she knows better than virtually anyone; Austin won the US Open at just 16 years old and remains the youngest-ever player — man or woman — to win the singles tournament.
"Everybody's had their eye on Coco Gauff," Austin told Insider. "And we've just been able to see her talent get better every single year, every single month. It seems like now, at that age, you improve so rapidly."
"I think she's gonna win a major," she added of the young superstar.
Austin credits that shift to a few factors. Gauff has "shored up her forehand in the last four to six months in a big way," she says.
And, crucially, her service game has improved. When she was younger, her serves sometimes became a bit erratic over the course of any given match. But now, with more experience and maturity working in her favor, Gauff's strong service game has morphed into a tool she can depend on.
"The serve has gotten better, more reliable," Austin said. "Not as many double faults. And the forehand used to be attackable, but now she's such an incredible athlete."
Austin prides herself on her ability to sniff out young talent who boast that "it" factor that makes a tennis champion. But as someone who remembers living "almost two lives" as a Grand Slam champion adored by millions who doubled as a 10th grader attending public high school, Austin knows that "it's very difficult to navigate to the top without any problems" as a young kid in the spotlight.
For her, the key to navigating it all was keeping a level head and maintaining a sense of normalcy. She thinks Gauff, who catapulted into prominence after defeating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019, has managed todo the same.
"She seems to have a great head on her shoulders," Austin said. "So poised out there. She's had so many eyes on her for years now."
And she's thriving like never before. Just last month, Gauff earned a career-high ranking of 15th in the world and now sits at 23rd.
She's an 18th seed at Roland-Garros, where last year she made her way to her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. Gauff took down Belgian star Alison van Uytvanck in straight sets Wednesday to advance to the third round of the French Open.
She'll face Estonian Kaia Kanepi next and, should she win, the youngest player in the draw could run into Elise Mertens with yet another trip to the quarterfinals on the line.
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