Coco Gauff said her defeat to former champion Sloane Stephens at the U.S. Open on Wednesday had highlighted the shortcomings in her game but the 17-year-old is convinced she will get her hands on a Grand Slam title one day.
The American became an overnight sensation when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019 as a qualifier and she has steadily climbed up the rankings, reaching number 23.
However, she was no match for 2017 champion Stephens in their first career meeting, going down 6-4 6-2 to the 28-year-old in the second round.
“The goal is always to win, so obviously I think I can do a lot better,” Gauff said.
“I think today’s match showed what I need to improve on.
“Singles-wise, I think I have a lot to work on. I’m going to go back to work once this is over.”
Gauff said reaching a maiden quarter-final at the French Open was the standout for her in 2021, during which she also made the fourth round at Wimbledon.
“I feel like I’ve learned that I’m capable of making it far in slams,” said Gauff, who also won her first WTA claycourt title in Parma this year. “I think if I tighten up a few things, that I’m capable of winning one.
“The past couple of slams I’ve lost to players that have gone to the quarters or won eventually, so it shows that I’m there.
“I feel like there’s just an experience lacking that I have. I definitely think it shows. I think that I just need to play more matches so I feel more comfortable on the pressure moments.”
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Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt has revealed when he was actually sacked by the Amakhosi.
Hunt’s final game in charge of Kaizer Chiefs last season was against Black Leopards in the DStv Premiership however the Chippa United head coach confirmed he was actually sacked before that match.
According to Gavin Hunt, he was sacked following Kaizer Chiefs’ 3-0 CAF Champions League quart quarterfinal away leg loss against Simba SC in Tanzania.
Despite going down 3-0 away from home, the Amakhosi still managed to progress to the semi-finals thanks to a massive 4-0 home victory in the first leg.
“The sacking pretty much came after the 3-0 loss to Simba but we went through. If it was the other way around people would have been over the moon. When they pulled the plug I was obviously hugely disappointed because you don’t very often get into that situation especially to get through what we got through.” the former Kaizer Chiefs manager told OnTheWhistle podcast show.
“It was said, let’s get out of the first round in the Champions League and let’s finish above sixth in the league. I felt let’s do better in the Champions League and the league we’ll go again next season. We couldn’t go on two fronts. We were traveling, coming back and playing. We couldn’t, there was no chance.” the recently sacked Kaizer Chiefs coach continued.
“Kaizer Chiefs is the biggest club in the country, no doubt about it. I came in two weeks before the start of the season, two weeks!” Hunt continued.
“We have a total ban on [signing] players. The team hadn’t won a trophy in six or seven years. The team needed a revival. Some new blood and fresh legs. So what we did was we signed all the players they have now. Dolly wasn’t on the list of the one’s that were coming but the rest were.”
Following his spell at Kaizer Chiefs, Gavin Hunt has since joined Chippa United. The Chilli Boys have opened their season with a victory over Sekhukhune United and a draw against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
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Veteran actress Saira Banu has been admitted to Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai and currently is in ICU. The actress, who recently lost her husband Dilip, reportedly has been under a lot of stress ever since the death of the legendary actor.
According to the reports, cardiologist Dr. Nitin Gokhale (his father Dr. Shrikant Gokhale was Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu's family doctor) revealed that the actress is doing fine and has completely stabilised. She will be moved from ICU on Thursday, September 2. The doctor said that it is a case of left ventricular failure. The family will take the decision on angiography in 4 to 5 days.
Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar passed away in July this year at the age of 98 due to age-related illness. Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu tied the knot in 1966.
In the past several years, Saira Banu was Dilip's caregiver and was the backbone of the legendary actor. Not only did she take care of him when his health was fragile but also kept his fans on social media updated about him.