Coco Gauff reveals which players she could potentially have a Federer vs Nadal rivalry with

Coco Gauff is currently flying at the Australian Open, having booked her spot in the fourth round without dropping a single set yet.

As she continues to establish herself as one of the WTA’s most exciting talents, the 18-year-old has thought about whether she will strike up an iconic tennis rivalry on the Tour.

In her latest column for BBC Sport, Gauff spoke about how she would like to have a fierce yet friendly history similar to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The rising star has plenty of years ahead of her on the court but she has already thought about who she could potentially go the distance with as a long-standing rival.

Who is Coco Gauff’s closest rival?

“Who could I potentially develop a great rivalry with over the next 10 or 15 years? I don’t know for sure, there are a lot of players who you could point to,” Gauff said.

The first and perhaps most obvious name she mentioned was Emma Raducanu.

The two recently met on the court for the first time during the second round of the Australian Open.

© Provided by Give Me Sport MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 16: Coco Gauff of the United States reacts after winning a point in their round one singles match against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic during day one of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

It was a highly-anticipated clash between two young stars but Gauff came out on top after a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 win.

“Emma is definitely one — I think we showed that in our match, which I think was a decent quality for the most part,” she said.

Gauff may still be one Grand Slam title behind Raducanu but based on her current form, it’s surely only a matter of time before she wins her first major tournament.

© Provided by Give Me Sport MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 18: Coco Gauff (L) of the United States embraces Emma Raducanu of Great Britain after winning their round two singles match during day three of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 18, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

The US star also highlighted Iga Świątek and Leylah Fernandez as potential future rivals, due to them being a similar age to her.

“The Fruhvirtova sisters — Linda who is 17 and Brenda who is 15 — are just starting their careers and seem to have opportunities to do something great in the game, too,” Gauff continued.

“Another young player who has impressed me here in Melbourne is Diana Shnaider, who is the same age as me.”

Federer vs Nadal rivalry

© Provided by Give Me Sport LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer of Team Europe react after the doubles match between Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

The historic rivalry between Federer and Nadal is one of the most famous in tennis and it’s one that had Gauff, like millions of others around the world, completely hooked.

“Roger and Rafa was my favourite rivalry. What they had was incredible,” she said.

“As a fan watching them it was amazing to see how they played on the court like they hated each other, but then to see afterwards they could be friends and did amazing things together.”

Indeed, the two are famously known for their competitive nature against each other on the court but also for their close relationship off it.

© Provided by Give Me Sport GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (R) attends the Laver Cup Gala at HEAD Geneve prior to the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo on September 19, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Laver Cup will see six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. Team World is captained by John McEnroe and Team Europe is captained by Bjorn Borg. The tournament runs from September 20-22 (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Laver Cup)

The two played each other 40 times during their careers, with Nadal leading 24-16 overall.

They have a combined Grand Slam title count of 42, with Federer’s tally of 20 just shy of the Spaniard’s 22.

When Federer retired last September, both he and Nadal were reduced to tears at the Laver Cup and his long-time rival and friend said “a part of his life left” with the icon when he put down his racquet.

“I guess a match-up like that is something that I’d love to be part of in the future,” Gauff said. “I’m not sure it would be quite as great as them, but hopefully we can get something close.”

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Quiz: Have these tennis stars won 10 or more Grand Slam titles in their career?