The big prediction Chris Eubanks made about Coco Gauff last year which did not come true.

Chris Eubanks had big hopes for Coco Gauff coming into the 2025 season.

Eubanks has just announced his retirement from tennis, with the former Wimbledon finalist now set to continue his career in broadcasting.

This will include watching and commenting on Gauff, whom Eubanks has a great relationship with.

Gauff won the French Open and the Wuhan Open this year, but she still did not fulfil a goal Eubanks had for her.

What Chris Eubanks predicted Coco Gauff to achieve this year which did not happen
Gauff ended her season at the WTA Finals, with the American finishing the year as the world number three.

While this is an impressive achievement, with Gauff holding off Amanda Anisimova to remain as the American number one, it is not quite as high as Eubanks predicted her to reach in 2025.

Eubanks predicted Gauff’s 2025 ranking on the Tennis Channel Live podcast last year after she won the WTA Finals, backing his compatriot to climb all the way to reach the summit.

“We’ve seen so much greatness from her at such a young age, I think it’s safe to say that she will become world number one,” Eubanks said last year. “I think although it’s a big points deficit, I think she can do it next year.”

Eubanks continued, “Not just because of what I’ve seen from her at the end of last year at the WTA Finals, having to go through a gauntlet in order to take that title, but also look at history here.

“Her highest ranking in 2021 was 19, in 2022 it was 4 in the world, in 2023 it was 3 in the world, and in 2024 it was 2 in the world.

“It’s trending towards progress each and every year. This year was number two, there’s only one place to go from there.”

Can Coco Gauff become world number one in 2026?

Gauff achieved her career-high ranking of world number two in 2024, which she did match after winning the French Open this year, but she now trails Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek as the world number three.

After the conclusion of the 2025 season, Gauff trails world number one Sabalenka by a sizeable 4,107 points.

This means that Gauff does not even have a chance to become world number one until after the Australian Open, and a big portion of the ranking points she is defending next year will come during the clay court swing.

Currently in the driving seat to become world number one after the French Open is Swiatek, who has the most ranking points protected after the clay court major.

Although there is still a lot of work to be done until then, Gauff has the most protected ranking points of the three players after the US Open next year.

Gauff will start her 2026 season at the United Cup, where USA are the defending champions, and she will look to begin her bid to achieve Eubanks’ goal just one year later.