“It added this pressure that I needed to do well fast. Once I let that all go, that’s when I started to have the results I wanted,” Coco Gauff revealed 5 years ago in a raw post for “Behind the Racquet,” reflecting on the weight of early stardom. The pressure hasn’t vanished, after recent back-to-back 1st-round losses in the Middle East, she addressed critics head-on: “Everybody makes a bigger deal than what it is… I lost two matches. I’ll lose more matches back to back, it’s going to happen.” And now, after booking her spot in the third round at Roland Garros, the 21-year-old made another honest admission, this time about the imperfections still lingering in her game.
2nd seed Coco Gauff battled through her second-round clash at Roland Garros, defeating Czech teenager Tereza Valentova 6-2, 6-4 in just 75 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen yesterday. Despite the straight-sets win, Gauff was far from her best, though, with her opponent gifting her 33 unforced errors.
After the match, Gauff reflected openly on the shortcomings in her game, despite her victory. Currently seeking her first title since the 2024 WTA Finals, she acknowledged that improvement is still needed. At the post-match press conference, when a reporter asked the former US Open champion about how she manages to strike a balance between what she is doing well and what she’d like to do better, she said, “I think I mean I am someone to look at sometimes more negative things than positive. So yeah, I feel like it’s just a taking it a match-by-match basis and figuring out what I can do better with each match.”
May 20, 2025, Paris, France, France: Coco GAUFF of United States during a training session of Roland-Garros 2025, French Open 2025, Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland-Garros Stadium on May 20, 2025 in Paris, France. Paris France – ZUMAm308 20250520_zsp_m308_084 Copyright: xMatthieuxMirvillex
Coco Gauff further reflected on the reality of playing at the GS level, where time between matches is limited and opportunities for technical adjustments are minimal. “Yeah I mean, once I’m in tournament I just feel like I have to trust what the work I did before and obviously you know you have the day offs in between but you know there’s not too much you can improve in one day but you just try to make those little steps and hope that they perform in the match,” she said.
Her match-by-match focus has influenced her recent form on clay as well. Following a disappointing Stuttgart Open, where she exited in the QF, and a less-than-stellar Sunshine Doubles campaign on American hard courts, Coco bounced back strongly at the Madrid Open, making a deep run before being stopped by top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Disappointed after the loss, she then carried that momentum into the Italian Open, where she showcased some of her most fluid tennis this season. Although her serve remained a visible weakness, she fought her way to the final before falling to local favorite Jasmine Paolini.
Now, with a 3rd-round spot secured at the French Open, Gauff seems to be embracing the patience and persistence needed for a deep Slam run. Her evolving approach is giving her game the structure it needs to thrive under pressure, where she aims for another final.
But beyond her performance, Gauff also voiced an important perspective about women’s tennis at this year’s clay-court slam, advocating for more visibility during night sessions: an area where equality remains a hot topic.
Coco Gauff advocates for night session equality for women
The debate around gender equality in tennis scheduling has resurfaced at this year’s Roland Garros, where the 8:15 p.m. prime-time TV slot continues to showcase only men’s matches. Since the night sessions began in 2021, WTA singles have rarely made the cut, with last year seeing zero female representation in all 11 prime-time slots. This year follows the same trend as well. Wednesday night’s feature? The 12th seed, Holger Rune, against world No. 137 Emilio Nava.
WTA ace Ons Jabeur reignited the discussion earlier this week, saying bluntly, “I don’t think they have daughters,” when speaking about the tournament organizers’ decision to give prime-time slots to men’s matches. Now, Coco Gauff has joined the chorus after her second-round match at the Parisian Clay, expressing her disappointment after reaching the third round by defeating Czech teenager Tereza Valentova 6-2, 6-4.
“I do think that women’s matches are worthy of a night spot,” Gauff added. “I definitely do agree with Ons when, like, you feel what’s best for the fans, but I feel like we produce some high-quality tennis and we have some great stars on the women’s side who fans I’m sure would love to see.”
Recalling her experience under the lights at the US Open last year, she added: “From my experience playing at the US Open, a night match at 7 p.m. with Novak [Djokovic] following me – and he’s the greatest player of all time – people were almost just as excited to see me play as him. Same with other places I play, like Australia. I definitely think there is opportunity to improve that in the future with this tournament.”
The American now faces Marie Bouzková in the third round, with fans eagerly awaiting whether her match will finally break into the elusive night session slot. Do you think she will get past the Czech and qualify for the next round?
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