Tennis–Cautious Gauff targets Channel Slam at Wimbledon, 10 years after Serena Williams
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 28, 2025 Coco Gauff of the U.S. during a practice session REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 28, 2025 Coco Gauff of the U.S. during a practice session REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 28, 2025 Coco Gauff of the U.S. during a practice session REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 28, 2025 Coco Gauff of the U.S. during a practice session REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 28, 2025 Coco Gauff of the U.S. during a practice session REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Second seed Coco Gauff is chasing a rare Channel Slam at Wimbledon after lifting her maiden French Open title, the American said on Saturday, though she is keeping expectations in check as she adapts to the quick transition from clay to grass.
The last woman to achieve the Channel Slam -- winning Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year -- was Serena Williams, who accomplished the feat in 2002 and again in 2015.
The 21-year-old Gauff, who became the first American woman since Williams in 2015 to win at Roland Garros, is not putting too much pressure on herself though, having never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Gauff played only in Berlin in the run-up to Wimbledon, where she was stunned by China's Wang Xinyu in the round of 16.
"I understand why it (a Channel Slam) hasn't been done that often. Except I guess Carlos (Alcaraz), he makes it look pretty easy. Novak (Djokovic), too. I didn't realise it was 10 years since Serena," Gauff told reporters.
"I would love to do that. Also, I'm not going to put that much pressure on myself because I've been telling my team and people around me, this is all new territory for me.
"I'm trying to take it as I go. If I were to end up there, it would be great. If not, I'll try to come up with a better way to prepare for this tournament next year."
While Gauff's athleticism and baseline power have taken her deep on hard and clay courts, her game has yet to fully click on grass, where the low bounce and quick pace often disrupt players' rhythm and court coverage.
Asked what she would focus on to strengthen her game on the surface, Gauff said, "For sure movement. It's obviously a lot different than clay. Just keeping the ball lower."
"And then serve, I want to be pretty aggressive with the serve here just because it's grass."
Gauff will face Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in her opening match on Tuesday. REUTERS
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