Gigo Salmon column: Coco Gauff’s incredible mental strength at WTA Finals and tennis in Saudi Arabia | Tennis News

I’m writing this at Istanbul airport as we wait for our connection to Turin and, having left for the airport in Riyadh at 5am on Sunday morning after two hours sleep, please excuse any bad spelling or random musings, although when it comes to camel rides that is meant to be in here!

By the time you’re reading this, we will be getting ready to bring you Monday’s coverage from Day 2 of the ATP Tour Finals.

As we wait for our flight a debate is in full swing among the team as to who is the greatest British sports person, and you wont be surprised to know that Andy Murray has had a few mentions! Fingers are starting to be pointed and lack of sleep might lead to some interesting discussion but it is a good way of passing the time.

While the debate continues I will get to the tennis and instead of waiting until the ATP Finals were finished, with our trip to Saudi Arabia and the WTA Finals still fresh in my mind, I wanted to look back at the WTA’s season-ending tournament.

It was a week that was topped off with a fantastic final, the youngest WTA Finals showpiece since 2004 when Serena Williams faced Maria Sharapova, with this year’s edition seeing the youngest winner in 20-year-old Coco Gauff.

Gauff came from a set down to beat Olympic Gold Medallist, 22 year old Qinwen Zheng in just over three hours, 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2). It was Gauff’s biggest final and now biggest title since winning the US Open in 2023. On her way to the final she beat the top two players in the world in Aryna Sabalenka who finishes the year as world No 1 and Iga Swiatek.

Gauff has well documented areas in her game that can breakdown in the forehand and serve, but her mental strength is second to none, she draws strength from negativity and is doing things her way and in her own time.

In recent times, she has made some coaching changes with the addition of Jean-Christophe Faurel and Matt Daly who specialises in grip changes, something they have already started looking at with her serve.

And while speaking to us live on Sky Sports Tennis after the final saying that she is exhausted, she told Laura Robson on media day that when the season is finally over she’s off to a music festival, and she can’t wait.

Saudi Arabia moving in right direction with women’s sport

As far as the finals being played in Saudi Arabia, something that generated a lot of discussion and headlines when it was announced, while there is still a lot of work to be done before we see the change that is spoken of happen, it does look as though things are moving in the right direction when it comes to getting women engaged in and playing sport.

The last 10 days saw players past and present hold coaching clinics, make themselves as visible as possible and see for themselves where the country is and where it wants to go. As always it’s what happens when everyone leaves when the tournament is done, but it does sound from speaking to a various people that while not moving at the speed many would like it to change is happening and the WTA being there is a positive move.

We did get the chance to explore a little and for Laura and I that meant sand dunes, quad bikes and camel riding. A 4.30am departure from the hotel meant we got to see the sunrise, then came the quad bikes and finally the camels.

I was planning on giving this part a miss having ridden one years ago and being fairly unimpressed, but I was ushered forward and before I knew it, I was getting on a camel with Laura, as there were four of us and only three camels. The more I politely declined the offer of getting on the more they weren’t taking no for an answer, so then it happened, the words I never thought I would hear myself say: ‘Laura can I ride on your camel with you!’

Once the season finally shuts down, which it does for a very brief amount of time, I will look back on the year and ahead to 2025 but I think it’s fair to say that when it comes to the women’s game it is in good hands.

Behind the scenes in Riyadh things were very busy within the team, production manager James walked into a window, thinking it was a door, Patrick spent the week avoiding nuts that he may or may not be allergic too, and there were nuts in most things and Kirsty spent her first week with the tennis team and we think we have won her over.

Sinner big favourite for ATP Finals

While we were away Cam Norrie had a good end to the season, reaching the final in Metz, while Katie Boulter would wrap up her year at a career-high ranking of 23rd.

Next stop Turin, which is under way and for the first time since 2001 it doesn’t feature a member of the Big Three following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal. The prize pot is the same as for the WTA Finals, $15.25m (£11.83m) spread across the singles and doubles with an undefeated singles champion walking away with $4.8m (£3.7m).

So to predictions and we have been asked who will make the final in Turin, who will win and our surprise package.

No one is giving anything away as to who they have chosen, but I cannot imagine that anyone will stray far from world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

I hope you can join us – we will be with you live every day from Turin, where the tournament will feature a day and a night session and, after fully admitting they weren’t on it with their predictions in Riyadh, Laura and Tim have promised to step things up, so join us on Sky Sports Tennis.

And as I finish this Lennox Lewis has been thrown into our debate about the greatest British sportsperson…

Monday at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sky Sports Tennis

• Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz opens against Casper Ruud at 1pm (GMT) in John Newcombe Group
• New world No 2 Alexander Zverev takes on Andrey Rublev from 7.30pm

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.