Fresh off her triumphant French Open run, the second seed Coco Gauff now eyes the elusive Channel Slam, something no woman has achieved since Serena Williams in 2015. But as she gears up for her 2025 Wimbledon campaign, doubts begin to echo across the grass. Despite her clay dominance, Gauff has struggled at SW19, only going as far as the 4th round in past attempts. And now, American tennis icon Pam Shriver deals a heavy blow to that dream, issuing a grim verdict on Gauff’s chances. The chase for back-to-back glory just got steeper. But what exactly did Shriver say to shake the American dream?
In a candid conversation with ‘Arab News’ on the sidelines of Wimbledon, tennis legend Pam Shriver didn’t hold back as she reflected on Coco Gauff’s journey on grass. She rolled back the clock to 2019, the year Gauff exploded onto the scene, stunning her childhood idol Venus Williams and blazing into the R16. “You’d think six years ago, because Coco had her first big splash here getting to the round of 16, beating Venus on Court 1, the way she produced on Center Court for the first time, that given her athleticism, that grass would be a good surface for her, but it’s actually not,” Shriver remarked, hitting a nerve.
Shriver peeled the layers even further, analyzing the current Roland Garros winner’s technical discomfort. “I think it’s clearly her third best surface,” she stated flatly, before zoning in on a critical weakness. “I think how low it stays is particularly difficult for the forehand, and for the same reason, clay is her best surface, it’s the exact opposite.”
Image Credits: Coco Gauff/Instagram
The former doubles world top seed then addressed another flaw that’s haunted Coco in recent battles. “And I also think people have an aggressive mindset on second serve returns on grass, because that’s another vulnerable area for her,” Shriver said. “And also, while obviously her quickness helps you on any surface, anywhere, but honestly, even grass, if it’s a fast day, the sun’s out, it’s going to be hot, it’s even fast for Coco.”
To cap it off, Shriver dropped the hammer in the last: “So you put all those things together, and she doesn’t have a great history here since she had her breakthrough.” A sobering verdict, one that casts real doubt on Coco Gauff’s 2025 Wimbledon quest.
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