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Coco Gauff says 33-year-old Caroline Wozniacki is “definitely among the top-5 fittest people” on the Tour after taking on the Dane at the US Open. Wozniacki, who was out of tennis for two and a half years, returned to pro tennis last month.
Now a mother of two and 33 years old, Wozniacki proved at the US Open that she has the ability to still be among the best players in the game. Against sixth-ranked Gauff, former world No 1 Wozniacki competed extremely well before the American sealed a 6-3 3-6 6-1 win in their US Open round-of-16 match.
19-year-old Gauff, who grew up watching Wozniacki, was impressed by how 2018 Australian Open champion Wozniacki looked on the court in her first Grand Slam tournament in nearly three years.
Gauff on Wozniacki: Definitely in the top-5 fittest people on the Tour
“She’s incredibly fit.
That’s how she won a lot of her matches when she was — I don’t even know if it’s prime or not. I think she’s playing great tennis. It’s kind of hard for me to speak on it to before because I never played her, never practiced with her.
Honestly, when I was watching her, I was a young person so I don’t think I understood the game as much as I do now. Yeah, I think the fitness that she has, usually with most players I know that I can outlast them. Today I was confident that I could against her, but it was definitely, like, I don’t know.
I don’t think the match was based off the fitness of her getting tired, whereas some of my opponents hit a wall. Today I think I just played better. I told my coaches after the match, I said, she’s definitely like top-five fittest people on tour after today.
She was that before, for sure. I think she’ll be a top contender, probably a seed, by the end of this year, to be honest, for the Australian Open,” Gauff said of Wozniacki.
