Remember that hilarious Ugo Humbert blunder from Wimbledon 2022? With almost 90 minutes to prepare for his match against Norwegian Casper Ruud, the Frenchman somehow still forgot the most essential item, his tennis racket! “I don’t have any rackets—sorry for that,” he said, leaving fans in stitches. Fast forward 3 years, and the history repeated itself. However, this time with an American at the center of the mix-up – Frances Tiafoe. As the viral clip of the absurd incident makes headlines, the World number 3 Coco Gauff has stepped in to defend her countryman. Rather than calling it Tiafoe’s fault, she has jokingly shifted the blame elsewhere, finding the perfect scapegoat. But who is Coco actually blaming?
Coco Gauff’s opening match at the Indian Wells was anything but smooth sailing. The 3rd seed cut a visibly frustrated figure on the court, and for good reason! Facing the 52nd seed Moyuka Uchijima, Coco struggled with consistency, racking up a staggering 21 double faults and over 70 unforced errors. And, despite her opponent possibly battling an abdominal injury, the former US champion found herself locked in a tense battle.
But with sheer grit, the former US Open champion snapped a 3-match losing streak, grinding out a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) victory on Stadium 2 at the California desert – her first win since defeating the Swiss Belinda Bencic in the AO’s fourth round. However, the American WTA star wasn’t just making headlines for her performance: she had something to say about the tournament’s funniest mishap till now. When asked about her fellow American’s forgotten racket debacle, Coco playfully revealed who she thought the true culprit was behind the absurd blunder.
Taking to the “Tennis Channel, Coco said, “Honestly, to defend, I am to defend Frances which is a rare thing. I’m gonna put the blame on David. I’m putting it on David because usually the coaches. Well, from what I’ve seen, and my team, the coaches will bring the rackets to us right before a match and put them in our bag.”
She continued, “So I have to talk. I haven’t seen Frances and usually, Frances is always late to everything and does forget a lot of things. And I have seen and heard he’s showed up to the airport without stuff and things like that. But I’m going to put that on David, and I’m going to talk to talk to see if that’s true. But usually, the coach will do it. So I’m gonna give Frances a pass on this.” But what exactly exactly happened with Tiafoe?
Got there in the end @FTiafoe came to court missing a pretty important piece of equipment last night… #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/Tm5lRHy1FF
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 8, 2025
The ATP No. 17 has a lot on his plate at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, as he is not just competing but also juggling sponsorship events for Lululemon in Coachella Valley. With so much happening, even the best can have a momentary lapse. And that’s exactly what happened on Friday night when Tiafoe stepped onto Court 2, ready to battle Bosnian Damir Džumhur, only to realize he had forgotten a crucial piece of his gaming equipment: “his rackets”!
He had to explain the situation to his opponent as his coach, David Witt, sprinted off to retrieve the rackets. The lighthearted delay at the center court had the crowd chuckling, and when the rackets finally arrived, Frances flashed his signature grin as the match got underway, and the American later tasted victory in straight sets: 7-6(4), 7-6(7). A moment of forgetfulness turned into a memorable night for Big Foe in the California desert!
Coming back to Gauff, she had to take a lot of criticism after her recent performance in the Middle East. Right after her opening match at the Indian Wells Open, where she beat the Japanese player Moyuka Uchijima in a hard-fought encounter, Coco shared her thoughts.
“Happy to get a win on the court,” — Coco Gauff after her win against Uchijima
Confident and composed, Moyuka Uchijima, fresh off a commanding victory over the former US Open winner British Emma Raducanu on her Indian Wells debut, capitalized on Gauff’s inconsistency, using her heavy forehand to dictate play when given the opportunity. However, the American No. 1 seemed to have the upper hand early in the deciding set, storming to a 4-0 lead after Uchijima took a medical timeout. Coco’s path to victory, however, wasn’t easy.
Her serve became her biggest obstacle again, with double faults derailing her attempts to close out the match. The 9-time WTA singles title winner squandered match points at 5-4 and allowed the Japanese to level at 5-5 before another crucial double fault in the 12th game. However, she eventually deep when it mattered most, securing a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) win and advancing to the Indian Wells third round for the fifth straight time.
“It wasn’t my best tennis at all today, but I’m just happy to get through. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, and I’m just happy to get a win on the court. No one likes to lose, and I came in here with determination. It wasn’t my best tennis, but a win is a win,” Coco said after the match.
Up next, she takes on the 29th seed Maria Sakkari in a rematch of last year’s Indian Wells SF. Can Gauff flip the script this time?
The post Standing Up for Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff Playfully Finds a Scapegoat for His Viral Racket Mishap appeared first on EssentiallySports.