Coco Gauff’s journey this season has been a rollercoaster. After a tough loss to Belinda Bencic at Indian Wells, Gauff admitted, “Overall I feel like, I mean, it’s not as bad as it seems.” But the road didn’t get easier: Middle East swings, Miami, and Stuttgart all delivered early exits. Then came a resurgence! The American found her rhythm on Madrid’s red clay and again surged in Rome. Despite falling short in both finals, she remains undeterred. With the French Open on the horizon, the American sees the setbacks not as failures, but fuel. She’s holding tight to the silver lining and ready to strike again!
Gauff’s 2025 clay-court campaign has seen some strong wins, but finals glory remains elusive. In Rome, she powered past top talents like Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva to reach the final, only to fall short against home-grown talent Jasmine Paolini. The Italian played inspired tennis, winning 6-4, 6-2 to become the 1st Italian woman in 40 years to lift the Rome title. Gauff, meanwhile, struggled with unforced errors and couldn’t shift the momentum.
Earlier this month as well, Gauff was bested by Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final, losing 3-6, 6-7(3). Still, the 21-year-old American remains optimistic as she turns her focus to Roland Garros, determined to make her mark on the Parisian clay.
The former US open winner remains determined and grounded as she reflects on her recent runner-up finishes ahead of the French Open. Speaking in an interview with the WTA following her loss to Jasmine Paolini in the Italian Open final, Coco took a moment to share a quote that inspired her. “Two results I’m obviously pretty disappointed in, but overall I have a lot of confidence going into Roland Garros and hopefully I can get to the final there & win it. I think I saw Medvedev say it’s better to lose in finals than first round,” she said, drawing motivation from Daniil Medvedev’s perspective on setbacks.
Gauff on losing Madrid & Rome Finals
“Two results I’m obv pretty disappointed in, but overall I have a lot of confidence going into RG and hopefully I can get to the final there & win it. I think I saw Medvedev say it’s better to lose in finals than first round…”
: WTA, DAZN pic.twitter.com/p3dVtQWfwl
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) May 18, 2025
As Coco Gauff prepares for the challenges at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old also shared her thoughts on the relevance of seeding in the GS. The 21-year-old feels that seeding plays only a minor role beyond the early rounds. “Seeding obviously helps when you’re seeded higher, but at these Grand Slams it helps for a first couple of rounds and when you are at the quarters and even fourth round, it’s kind of pointless because you’re playing great players. And if you kind of went for the big trophy, you have to beat incredible players.”
The loss at the Roman clay marked another near-miss for Gauff, continuing a pattern of close finishes in major tournaments. She has now lost 3 big singles finals, at the French Open, the Madrid Open, and most recently in Rome. In doubles as well, the trend is similar, with 4 Runner-up finishes including two in Rome, and one each in Madrid and Roland Garros.
Despite this, Gauff’s resilience shines through. She acknowledged the shortcomings in her game, particularly areas that need adjustment to break through and finally clinch a major title.
“I have to improve and do better”: Coco Gauff’s honest confession about her double faults
Coco Gauff’s ongoing struggle with ‘double faults’ and unforced errors is far from new. At Indian Wells, she hit 21 double faults and committed 74 unforced errors against Moyuka Uchijima, and similar issues surfaced at last year’s Wuhan Open, where she fell to Aryna Sabalenka despite a strong start. The US Open 2023 champion has seen this pattern follow her, most recently during the Italian Open. In her SF clash with Zheng Qinwen, Gauff committed over 70 unforced errors, and in the final against Jasmine Paolini, she made 55 errors that ultimately gave her opponent a critical advantage.
After the loss in Rome, Coco didn’t shy away from addressing her flaws. In an honest post-match interview, she acknowledged that her double faults remain a pressing issue she must resolve if she hopes to level up. “I think for me, I guess, yeah, with the double-faults, it’s something I know I have to improve and do better. If I want to make it to the next level, it’s definitely something I have to improve,” Gauff admitted.
Regarding her unforced errors, Gauff offered insight into her strategy and the challenging conditions at clay. “Unforced errors? I mean, I was just going for my shots. In the semi, I mean, there is context behind that in the semifinal. The court was super slow… It’s not so easy to hit a winner,” she explained. The strategy, while risky, was her best option to break through her opponent’s defense.
Now, all eyes are on the French Open, where Coco Gauff enters as the 2nd seed. After falling in the SF last year to Iga Swiatek, the 21-year-old hopes to shift gears and claim her maiden GS title on the Parisian clay. Can she go deep into the tournament and claim the trophy?
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