Coco Gauff’s start to the 2025 season was nothing less than a sweet dream. Coming after her WTA Finals triumph in Riyadh, she continued the winning momentum at the United Cup back in January. Her heroics led America to a second consecutive title in the event. But then came the nightmarish run, beginning with the Australian Open in Melbourne. Just when it seemed the 2023 US Open would be one of the potential winners, she failed to go past Paula Badosa in the QF. But Gauff, being the tough nut that she is, remained unfazed. “I feel like I’m on the road to the right way, right path. I’m not crushed,” she said. However, with a first-round exit at the Qatar Open and then Dubai, her form is under the microscope, to say the least!
After 2022, it’s the first time she’s lost three back-to-back WTA matches. Over two years ago, at 18, she lost three successive encounters at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. But hey, Gauff is still fairly optimistic. Well, there’s a simple reason for that.
“I’m only 20 years old, going to be 21 next week,” she said, as reported by WTA’s website on March 7. She was speaking during a press conference ahead of her next match at the Indian Wells. Reflecting on her current form, Gauff stressed that it’s just a phase that will surely fade away. “It would be kind of silly for me to think (losing back-to-back matches) won’t happen to me again if I’m going to be out here hopefully at least 10 more years.”
WUHAN, CHINA – OCTOBER 12: Coco Gauff of United States competes in the Women s Singles Semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on day eight of 2024 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on October 12, 2024 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN Copyright: xVCGx 111523401526
“Everybody makes a bigger deal than what it is. I lost two matches,” she said while throwing light on her losses in Doha and Dubai last month. “I was upset that I lost, but it’s a loss. It’s going to happen again. I’m going to lose back-to-back again. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen too many times in my career.”
Being hopeful for her journey going forward, she added, “It’s just one of those things that you just move on and get better. The results will come.”
Well, they need to come sooner than later, considering she’s set to appear in an event where she’s performed quite well lately.
Coco Gauff looks to leave failures behind at the Indian Wells
Coco Gauff‘s performance at the BNP Paribas has gradually only gotten better in recent seasons, taking into account her last three appearances. Back in 2022, she failed to woo after crashing out in the Round of 16, where Simona Halep beat her with a score line of 6-3, 6-4. A year later, she managed to improve, stretching her run to the QF round. However, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka eliminated her with a score line of 6-4, 6-0.
But in 2024, Gauff looked in dominating form, reaching the semifinal stage. Unfortunately, Greece’s Maria Sakkari ended her hopes of reaching the title clash, forcing her out of competition with a score line of 6-4, 6-7, 6-2.
This time around, the World number 3 is set to kickstart her Indian Wells campaign against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima on Sunday. Gauff’s singles record at this event is 9-4 – she would have preferred better, but it’s not all that bad. And she will be looking to improve it further, making a deep run.
Uchijima and Gauff are set to face each other for the first time. It will be intriguing to see who emerges as the ultimate winner, even though Gauff enters the contest as the heavy favorite. But can we rule out an upset, given Coco’s recent form? What do you think?
The post “Silly for Me to Think”: Harsh Lessons Sink In as 20YO Coco Gauff Reevaluates Her Career Goals appeared first on EssentiallySports.
