Coco Gauff’s quest for the crown takes a detour through heartbreak. On Tuesday, the No. 2 seed suffered a tough loss to Dayana Yastremska. Expectations were sky-high for the 2025 French Open champion, who ousted top seed Aryna Sabalenka in Paris and was eyeing a “Channel Slam” — winning both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year. But the Ukraine world No. 42 had other plans, cruising to a straight-sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 victory. So, how’s Coco holding up?
It’s definitely a hard loss, especially after her first-round exit at the Berlin Open last week against Wang Xinyu. Before Wimbledon, she told USA TODAY Sports, “Mentally I’m really excited. Every time I come on these grounds I get so inspired so I’m really excited.” Still, the Venus Rosewater Dish remains out of reach for now. But Coco’s showing strength on the inside.
In her post-match press conference, she was honest and brave: “I’m trying to be positive. After the match I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don’t like losing. I know my team is gonna tell me ‘you did well at Roland Garros. Don’t be so upset’. But I don’t really like losing. I feel a bit disappointed with how I showed up today.” Coco Gauff struggled with nine double faults and only converted one break point. Meanwhile, Yastremska’s strong serving and four break conversions kept her in control, outscoring Coco 64 to 52. That has to weigh on her.
Coco Gauff says she struggled in the locker room after her loss to Yastremska at Wimbledon, ‘I’m trying to be positive… I don’t like losing’
“I know you’re just off court from a tough loss, but can you step back and look at your European swing in general?”
Coco: “I’m trying to… pic.twitter.com/usTaaZYezb
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 1, 2025
She added, “I could’ve been a bit better in those tough tiebreaker moments. Especially after Roland Garros where I feel like I learned a lot in those tiebreakers. So yeah. Obviously I’m not gonna dwell on this too long, because I wanna do well at US Open.” The stats back her up.
At the 2025 French Open final, Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4. After dropping the first set tiebreak, she upped her service game, winning 65% of her service points in the second set compared to Sabalenka’s 35%. Her consistent play and return game, with a 58% success rate on returns throughout the tournament, helped her seize chances. Plus, winning her first Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open gives hope for more major titles ahead!
However, with this loss, there’s a bright side for the seven-time title holder, Serena Williams! Wimbledon’s women’s draw has been rocked by early surprises, with the No. 2 seed joining a wave of top players bowing out in the opening round. The shock didn’t stop there—No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 9 seed Paula Badosa also faced unexpected early exits. This leaves Serena as the last American player to have won Wimbledon in the 21st Century!
On the other hand, Coco knew Dayana would be a tough opponent from the start. And judging by the Ukrainian’s smile, she was just as happy to share the court with the World No. 2!
Coco Gauff’s Opponent reveals her relationship with the American
When the Wimbledon main draw was announced, the showdown between Coco and Dayana Yastremska instantly caught eyes—despite a 40-spot gap in their rankings. Yastremska, who once reached No. 21 in the PIF WTA Rankings, made a bold run to last year’s Australian Open semifinals as a qualifier. This year, her grass-court game has been on fire, winning six of eight matches, finishing runner-up at Nottingham, and reaching the Eastbourne quarterfinals.
The 25-year-old Ukrainian brought that momentum into Wimbledon, defying her 0-3 head-to-head record against Gauff. After the match, she said, “First thing I am going to say is that this court brings me a lot of nice memories because I played here at juniors finals on this court, so it gave me a lot of emotions.” She added with a smile, “I think it was a great match today. I was really on fire. I have even fire on my nails.” About facing Coco, she shared, “Playing against Coco [Gauff] is something special. I played her already three times, it’s 3-1 to her. So she is a great player and a great person. We have a very good relationship.”
Yastremska’s fearless play saw her slam backhand winners down the line to break for 4-2 in the first set. Though she stumbled serving out the set at 5-3 with a couple of double faults, she stayed composed. “I enjoy it a lot. These courts are made for the greatest players, so I am very grateful to be on this court. Thanks so much for your support,” she said, soaking in the moment.
Now, Yastremska gears up to face Anastasia Zakharova in the second round on Thursday, July 3. Meanwhile, Wimbledon’s “Day of Upsets” saw not only Coco Gauff’s exit but also No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula bow out alongside several ATP stars like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and more! For all the drama and latest updates, catch every moment on the 2025 Wimbledon Live Blog!
The post Coco Gauff Admits to ‘Struggling’ but Assures Wimbledon Loss Isn’t the ‘Worst Thing in the World’ for Her appeared first on EssentiallySports.
