Coco Gauff arrives fresh off her second Grand Slam title, having defeated Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final—a true testament to her champion’s spirit. After a tough Australian Open quarterfinal loss to Paula Badosa and early exits in Qatar, Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami, the young American struggled to find her footing. But she bounced back with a strong quarterfinal showing at the Stuttgart Boss Open, then surged through the clay season with three consecutive finals in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. Grass courts have always been a love-hate battle for Gauff—what will this season bring?
Gauff’s journey is nothing short of electric. She’s already bagged ten WTA singles titles, including two Grand Slams—the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open—and the coveted 2024 WTA Finals. But here’s the twist: grass courts still feel like a mountain she’s itching to climb. Despite showing grit and grace at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round three times (2019, 2021, 2024), she’s yet to snag a WTA 500 grass-court title, like the Berlin Open. It’s that missing piece in her dazzling puzzle, a challenge that’s calling her name loud and clear.
Her power and finesse truly shine on hard and clay courts. Eight of her ten titles are on hard courts, with two on clay—including that epic French Open win. She’s a beast with a 70.18 % win rate on hard and an even more jaw-dropping 74.56 % on clay. But grass? That’s been a tricky dance. With a 71.05 % rate and a 27-11 record since 2018, she’s battled hard at ten grass events but never quite conquered. The Berlin Open could be the stage where she flips the script and shows the world she’s a force everywhere.
2025 Roland-Garros – Day 14 PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 7: Coco Gauff of US plays against Aryna Sabalenka not seen during the Women s Singles final match on Day 14 of the 2025 French Open at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris, France on June 7, 2025. Mustafa Yalcin / Anadolu Paris France. Editorial use only. Please get in touch for any other usage. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxTURxUSAxCANxUKxJPNxITAxFRAxAUSxESPxBELxKORxRSAxHKGxNZL Copyright: x2025xAnadoluxMustafaxYalcinx
Last year’s Berlin run was a rollercoaster—she stormed into the semifinals but was stopped by Jessica Pegula. In 2023, she made it to the round of 16, and in 2022, another semifinal heartbreak against Ons Jabeur. It’s been a bit of a love-hate story with grass, but this year feels different. Winning Berlin would mean more than just €142,610 ($1,63,915.77 USD) and 500 ranking points—it would close the gap between her and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (currently at 11,553 points) from 8,083 to 8,583 points. This would tighten the race for the top spot and give her crucial momentum heading into Wimbledon.
Additionally, if Coco Gauff lifts the Berlin trophy, she’d make history as the first No. 2 seed to win the tournament in recent memory. That would put her in an exclusive club alongside Sabalenka, who won as the No. 1 seed, and Jessica Pegula, who took the title last year as the fourth seed. This achievement would be a powerful statement of her growing mastery on grass and her rise as a true all-surface contender.
Speaking of Sabalenka, she’s the top seed and a fierce contender, hunting for her first grass title despite a shaky Berlin record. Then there’s Pegula, the defending champion and a gritty fighter who saved five championship points last year. The field is stacked with heavy hitters, including seven Grand Slam champions like Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova. Will she overcome these obstacles? Only time will tell.
But let’s not forget that Coco is a firecracker with a hunger that won’t quit. The pressure’s mounting as she eyes Berlin and Wimbledon, but so is her fierce determination. Andy Roddick might be on the fence for it, though.
American ex-pro reveals what he thinks about Coco Gauff on grass courts
Tennis legend Chris Evert believes Coco can definitely win Wimbledon, but Andy Roddick isn’t so sure. He pointed out, “She’s [Gauff] confident coming off of Roland Garros. Listen, the book on Coco hasn’t changed because she’s won Roland Garros. She’s so good at what she does, but the entry point to the forehand with pace is still going to be the thing that people try to do against her consistently. The easiest surface to do that on, in my opinion, against her, is on grass.” Ouch, that’s a tough critique, but it might hit the mark given her grass stats.
Still, you can’t count Coco out. This season, she’s shown serious growth—she stumbled during the hard-court swing but then soared on clay, capturing the French Open. Heading into grass, she’s optimistic but grounded. On the podcast Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike, she said, “I think I can give myself the best chance to win Wimbledon by trying to downplay my victory in Paris as much as possible. I’m kind of trying to forget that moment, honestly. It’s just about staying hungry.” That hunger is exactly what makes her so exciting to watch.
She’s not wasting any time either. Before Wimbledon, Coco’s off to the Berlin Open, ready to kick off her grass campaign against Xinyu Wang. They’ve met once before at Berlin in 2022, where Coco cruised through in straight sets, even bageling Wang in the opener. Their head-to-head stands at 1-0, and this time, Wang, a Chinese qualifier, will be desperate to pull off a statement upset against the freshly crowned Grand Slam champ.
It’s a classic underdog story brewing. Will Coco Gauff keep her momentum rolling, or will Wang shock the crowd? We’d love to know what you think in the comments below!
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