Martina Navratilova reveals what Coco Gauff excels at as she likens her to Novak Djokovic

Gauff has openly said she takes inspiration from Djokovic, especially when it comes to her serve. But the Czech-American legend sees something beyond that.

Speaking to WTATour.com ahead of the year-end WTA Finals, Navratilova noted Gauff’s improvements on serve and also made a bold claim about her movement.

Navratilova also highlighted similarities between the American’s backhand and Djokovic’s, even suggesting that Gauff might hit it with more power.

“She’s played nine hard-court finals and won them all. That’s crazy,” said Navratilova. “One of those was last year in Riyadh, so look out if she gets rolling again. Her backhand is like Djokovic’s – maybe with even more power. It’s money.

“When the serve is happening, it’s a real weapon, and I’m glad she’s figuring that out. Her movement is better than anybody else. She can always depend on that. It’s the one thing fully under her control. She knows she can run and defend no matter what. Then she manages the rest.

“When she comes forward, she has a very good volley and it’s hard to get the ball past her,” added Navratilova. “She just won in Wuhan, so she should be confident.”

Martina Navratilova names who she thinks will win the WTA Finals

Gauff, who secured her first WTA Finals title last year, is once again in excellent form heading into this year’s event.

Even so, Navratilova has tipped Aryna Sabalenka as the player to beat, saying that she is favoured to win any tournament she enters at the moment.

“Incredibly consistent and excellent. One major win, two finals and a semifinal. She was only three or four matches from winning the Grand Slam. Her consistency is not to be underestimated. There are so many players you can lose to these days, you have to be on your game at all times, and she was.

“She peaked well for all the majors. She’s still rueing the French Open more than anything. She could have won that match against Coco Gauff. But she bounced back and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova rather than beating herself. Then she won the US Open pretty decisively.

“She’s the heavy favorite on any surface, but particularly on a medium-pace hard court where you get a solid bounce and good footing. Her shots pay off on any surface and she has enough time to get into position. It’s fast enough for her to do damage and slow enough for her to prepare for her shots. She’s deadly on this stuff.”

Although Sabalenka has never won the WTA Finals, she was a finalist in 2022 when the tournament took place in Fort Worth, Texas.