If anyone is writing history on the WTA Tour right now, it might just be Coco Gauff. After all, how often do you see a player winning two Grand Slam titles by the age of 21? Now with five teenagers reaching the third round of this year’s Australian Open, the most at a major since the 2009 US Open, Gauff was asked what she thinks about the rise of so much young talent.

Coco Gauff offered a thoughtful answer, opening up about her own journey and how different things feel now compared to when she first burst onto the scene in 2018 at just 14 years old.

“Honestly, I find it more of a relief now that younger players are doing better,” Gauff said. “When I was 15, there weren’t many people around my age, so it was very lonely for me. Honestly, it’s great to have more people in my age range doing better so I can see them at tournaments,” she added after her easy 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over Karolina Muchova.

“I had a lot of friends, but we weren’t playing the same tournaments, so it was tough to keep up with those relationships,” the 21-year-old explained.

She went on to say the last couple of seasons have actually been some of the happiest of her career, even if the results haven’t always been consistent. “I felt like the last couple years, maybe the last two years on tour, have been some of my happiest,” she said. The reason?

“Even though the tennis has been up and down, you see more friendly faces in the locker room that you can actually be with,” she said, pointing at the new, fresh faces.

Gauff also mentioned that while she’s close with players like Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, the age gap sometimes makes a difference. “Obviously there’s Jess and Maddie, but they’re a little bit older, so we don’t always connect on the same things,” she added.

Driven by a desire to leave the locker room better than she found it, Coco Gauff spoke about how important it is to welcome the next generation as they find their footing on tour, even while her own competitive fire burns in pursuit of a third Grand Slam title.

Who are the five young talents stealing the spotlight in Melbourne

When we talk about this new generation, Mirra Andreeva is right at the center of it.  Even at just 18, her season has already been a roller coaster.

She opened the year with a quarterfinal loss in Brisbane, then bounced back by winning the Adelaide International, beating 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in the final. Just yesterday, though, she lost to Elina Svitolina and once again fell short of getting revenge for last year’s fourth-round loss to Aryna Sabalenka.

Then there’s Iva Jovic, who is also only 18 and already making waves. After taking advice from Novak Djokovic, she pulled off a big upset over No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini in the third round.

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And with her fourth-round win over Yulia Putintseva, Jovic became the youngest American woman to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals since Venus Williams in 1998. Now, she’s already setting her sights on world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, with their quarterfinal clash scheduled for tomorrow on Rod Laver Arena.

Rounding out the group is Tereza Valentova, who is just three years younger than Coco Gauff and now preparing to face world No. 5 Elena Rybakina in the fourth round on Margaret Court Arena.

Nikola Bartunkova, 19, is also part of this rising wave, even though her Australian Open run ended in the third round with a loss to world No. 21 Elise Mertens. So, what do you think about this new wave of young talent in tennis?