&w=3840&q=100)
Coco Gauff says she is unfazed despite first-round loss at Wimbledon 2025
Grass still not her best surface
The 21-year-old American admitted that she was emotional after the match but chose not to dwell on the disappointment. She acknowledged that Wimbledon continues to be her most challenging Grand Slam, pointing out that, unlike her deep runs at the French and US Opens, she has never advanced beyond the fourth round at the All England Club. Yastremska, who played with power and precision, remarked that Gauff's strengths are better suited to clay and hard courts — a sentiment echoed by the statistics from Gauff's career so far.
Struggles with rhythm and serve
Gauff's performance on Tuesday was marked by inconsistency, especially on serve. She hit nine double faults and accumulated more than two dozen unforced errors, which gave her opponent ample opportunity to control the match. Though she recently captured her second Grand Slam title by defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open final, the quick turnaround between clay and grass seemed to take a toll on her readiness. She noted that she felt overwhelmed by the events that followed her Roland-Garros win and didn't feel fully settled heading into Wimbledon.
A moment to reset, not regret
Despite the disappointing result, Gauff expressed a sense of perspective. She shared that her team reminded her of the success she had just enjoyed in Paris and that the loss should not overshadow her achievements. While she admitted to struggling emotionally in the locker room post-match, she also said the early exit might offer her a chance to regroup and reset before the US Open. 'Maybe losing here in the first round isn't the worst thing in the world,' she reflected, suggesting the added time could help her prepare better for the hard-court swing.
Looking forward to the US hard-court season
With Wimbledon behind her, Gauff is now focused on the upcoming North American circuit, which culminates at the US Open in late August. Having won her first Slam in New York in 2023 and now a two-time major champion, she remains confident in her game. For Gauff, this is not the end of the story — just a small chapter in what continues to be a promising and evolving career.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Alcaraz ends Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure, Paolini crashes out
Carlos Alcaraz ended Oliver Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure on Wednesday (July 3, 2025), seeing off the British amateur in straight sets to reach the third round as last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini joined the exit of stars. A record-breaking number of top seeds crashed out at the All England Club in the first round but Alcaraz and women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka avoided second-round shocks on Centre Court. Defending champion Alcaraz needed two hours and 17 minutes to subdue world number 733 Tarvet, who produced flashes of his emerging talent to delight the partisan crowd. "First of all I have to give big praise to Oliver. In his second match on the tour, I just loved his game to be honest," said the Spaniard after his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win. "I knew I had to play my best tennis. I was really happy with my performance but big praise to him as well." Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club. The 22-year-old, who beat Jannik Sinner in the final at Roland Garros last month, has won 31 of his 34 Tour-level matches on grass -- his last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. The second seed hopes to become the fifth man in the Open era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. Also Read | Jannik Sinner won't say why he fired two team members right before Wimbledon In stark contrast, the unheralded Tarvet is just starting his tennis career and cannot even collect all of his Wimbledon prize money. As a student of the University of San Diego, the 21-year-old has to maintain amateur status and must give up most of his earnings. While Alcaraz is a five-time Grand Slam champion, Tarvet was playing just his second major main draw match after coming through three qualifiers and beating Leandro Riedi in the opening round. "It was just really special. It's not every day that you get to play against maybe the best player in the world. I did a pretty good job of enjoying the moment and trying to play some good tennis," said Tarvet. Seeds tumble In the first two days, eight of the top 10 seeded players across the men's and women's singles draws were eliminated, a Grand Slam record in the Open era. Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen all lost in the first round. And Italian fourth seed Paolini was next to stumble in the second round on Wednesday. Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in the 2024 Wimbledon title match, slumped to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Russian world number 62 Kamilla Rakhimova. But Sabalenka bucked the trend, out-duelling 48th-ranked Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in a heavy-hitting contest. The Belarusian, who suffered painful defeats in the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, lashed an impressive 41 winners in a match lasting one hour and 35 minutes. "Honestly it's very sad to see so many top players losing but you better focus on yourself," said the three-time Grand Slam winner. "I hope it's no upsets anymore in this tournament, if you know what I mean!" Sabalenka's next opponent is Britain's Emma Raducanu, the former US Open champion beating 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3. Sixth seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys also advanced, making short work of Serbia's Olga Danilovic in a 6-4, 6-2 win. On the men's side, 13 seeded players lost in the first round, breaking the previous tournament record of 11 and tying the 2004 Australian Open for the most at a Grand Slam. American 12th seed Frances Tiafoe was the latest leading man to suffer the agony of an early defeat, going down 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 against British world number 61 Cameron Norrie. But fifth seed Taylor Fritz avoided the same fate, winning a second successive five-set marathon under the Court One roof against Gabriel Diallo to progress. The Eastbourne champion, who has played on all three days of the tournament so far, was pushed all the way by the Canadian but clinched the final set 6-3. "That's an incredibly hard match... tomorrow is going to be a very light hit," said the American.
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Wimbledon: Yuki, Rithvik enter second round with partners, Bopanna out
Yuki and Galloway will next take on the winner of the match between the Dutch combination of Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer and American Marcos Giron and Nuno Borges of Portugal in the next round.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Wimbledon: Seeds fall on grass as season takes backseat
Coco Gauff spent a few moments staring at the baseline a few inches away from her, shell-shocked. Her serve had been sent back with a full-blooded inside-out forehand that eluded her stretched racket. World No. 2 Coco Gauff after losing her first round match against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska. (REUTERS) At the other end of the court, Dayana Yastremska emptied her lungs in a roar that marked the biggest win of her career. The Ukrainian had just beaten the world No.2 and with it, pulled off the biggest upset at Wimbledon this year. By the time Gauff stepped on the No.1 Court at the All England Club, fans at Wimbledon had already been left stunned with the first round exits of World No.3s Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev. Pegula lost to Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who watched Wimbledon last year while in hospital. Zverev lost to French journeyman Arthur Rinderknech who has been part of the main draw at Wimbledon just once before. And while fans were still taking in the upsets, Gauff, the recently crowned French Open champion was sent packing. The most prestigious of the four Grand Slams has set some new records it would rather not have. Of the 64 seeds in the men's and women's singles draws, 23 have suffered a first round exit. This is the first time in the Open Era, which began in 1968, that two of the top three seeded women have lost in the opening round of a major. It is the first time four each of the top 10 seeds in the men's and women's draw have lost in the first round of a slam in the Open Era. And with 13 men's singles seeds losing their opener, it's tied for the most with the 2004 Australian Open. Joining Zverev in making a first round exit is seventh seed Lorenzo Musetti, eight seed Holger Rune and ninth seed and former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev. Among the women, world No.5 Qinwen Zheng and No.9 Paula Badosa lost early along with Gauff and Pegula. As unexpected as the results have been, they are not necessarily unsurprising. There is a method to the madness that comes with the short transition between clay and grass. The switch between the two surfaces is one of the most difficult to adjust to in the sport. On clay, the ball bounces higher and the ball slows when it comes in contact with the surface. On grass, the ball stays low and zips through on the bounce. The clay season generally starts in March and goes on till early June, ending with the French Open. Then players have only three weeks to figure out the nuances of grass before entering the manicured lawns of the All England Club. That short turnaround is difficult to overcome. 'I was struggling to feel comfortable on the court from the beginning,' Musetti said after losing to the hard-hitting Nikoloz Basilashvili. 'Even in the lateral movements -- normally I know how to move -- today seems like I never played on this surface.' Musetti reached the semi-final of the French Open but retired from the match with injury, which possibly caused him to skip all the pre-Wimbledon tune-up events. But Medvedev, the back-to-back semi-finalist at Wimbledon coming into the Slam this year, had reached the final of the ATP grass-court event in Halle, Germany just a week before travelling to London. He lost in four sets to Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. 'First round, many, many times you play a bit worse,' the 2021 US Open champion said in his press conference after the match. 'If this was the second or third round, maybe I would have had better shots and played better.' The players of today's era of tennis are mostly bred on hard and clay courts. It is on those surfaces that they emerge as the best players in the world. Grass, especially the early rounds, has often proven to be the great leveller -- no one quite knows how to play on it anymore. You may have the shots and the mentality, but if you are struggling to adjust with the court conditions, the route to victory gets all the more tough. As 23 seeds found out in the first round at Wimbledon.
