A Sharp Turn From Roland Garros Triumph to Wimbledon Heartbreak
Just when it looked like Coco Gauff was riding unstoppable momentum, reality bit hard on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Less than a month after nabbing her first French Open title and beating Aryna Sabalenka in a nerve-wracking Paris final, the 20-year-old American crashed out of her first match at SW19. Gauff, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, fell in straight sets—7-6(3), 6-1—to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. Her game faltered with 29 unforced errors and nine double faults, numbers that made even the crowd wince.
If you thought this was a blip, Gauff hadn’t lost in a Grand Slam first round since January 2022 at the Australian Open. After the adrenaline of Paris, the talk of a rare 'Channel Slam'—winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same summer—was in the air. Only a handful have done it before, and Serena Williams was the most recent, over ten years ago. For Gauff, who’s often compared to Serena on and off the court, this brought extra pressure.
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What tripped her up? The grass, mainly. Coming straight from red clay’s slower, grippy surface to the quick, low-skidding turf at Wimbledon is a challenge even veterans dread. Gauff herself admitted, “You need to play lower and more aggressive [on grass],” adding that on clay, “everything's about height and heaviness.” The quick turnaround left her little time to hone her grass-court instincts.
The off-court drama didn’t help, either. Right after her Paris win, Gauff found herself in the media whirlwind. She barely had time to reset, let alone revel in her first French Open trophy. The sudden focus and strain came to a head under the bright lights of Centre Court—another side effect of her growing status. And about that French Open final? Post-match tension between her and Sabalenka became a talking point, but the two soon defused the buzz by teaming up for cheery TikTok videos once they got to London.
Fashion-wise, don’t expect Gauff to channel Serena’s rebellious Wimbledon outfits just yet. Who could forget Serena’s hot pink tie-dye leggings back in 2011? Gauff kept things classic with light pink nail art—stylish but safe—showing she’s got her own path both with her racket and her wardrobe.
This wasn’t just a Gauff story, though. Wimbledon 2025 quickly turned unpredictable, with 23 tournament seeds dumped out in the first round—a record-tying stat for the Open Era. Gauff found herself in the company of Jessica Pegula and other top contenders left packing early bags. Grass, with its slippery unpredictability, claims favorites as often as it crowns them.
There’s no sign she’s letting this loss weigh her down for long. Gauff says she’s focusing on the next big stage: the U.S. Open. With each setback, she’s shown a knack for bouncing back—don’t expect the spotlight to stray from her for long. The transition from clay to grass remains a puzzle, but the fire that got her this far clearly isn’t going anywhere.
