Sports is a wild ride: one moment, you’re on top of the world, the next, you’re under fire! Just look at the World No. 3 Coco Gauff’s whirlwind 2024: the youngest ‘WTA Finals’ champ in 20 years, the first American winner since 2014, and a history-making Olympic flag-bearer. She even bagged a record-breaking $4.8 million paycheck after the WTA Finals win, the most in history. But fast forward to the 2025 season, and the narrative has flipped. A rough patch? Yes, and cue the critics coming in hot. Coco, however, a true Serena Williams-inspired warrior, isn’t here for the noise. She has clapped back with a response that has the world talking. But what exactly has she said?
Coco Gauff’s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster that started with a bang but quickly took unexpected turns as well. The former US Open winner delivered a world-class performance at the United Cup, almost single-handedly leading Team USA to victory. But the momentum didn’t last long. A shocking QF exit at the Australian Open against the Spaniard Paula Badosa set the tone for a tough stretch. The struggles continued in the Middle East swing, where she suffered back-to-back early exits.
First at the Qatar Total Energies Open against Marta Kostyuk (6-2, 7-5), then at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships, falling to fellow American McCartney Kessler (6-4, 7-5). With expectations sky-high after her dominant late 2024 run at the center court, the sudden dip in Coco’s form has brought out the critics, and the heat from fans has been relentless. But if there’s one thing Gauff thrives on, it’s proving doubters wrong at the end. As she gears up for Indian Wells, she isn’t backing down: she’s firing back with “brutal honesty” and a message that leaves no room for doubt.
Just before her Indian Wells showdown, Coco Gauff sat down to talk to the press and delivered a statement that turned heads. “Everybody makes a bigger deal than what it is, I lost two matches. Everyone is, like, `Oh, she’s sinking.’ OK, we’ve been through this. I’ll pick it back up. But at the end of the day, yeah, 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.” Well, these words truly showcase her maturity.
When the former US Open champion reached the Australian Open QF, she was riding an incredible streak: winning 22 of her last 24 matches. But the three straight losses were brutal. For those keeping score, that’s a slump Coco hasn’t faced since late 2022, when an 18-year-old teenage sensation lost all three of her WTA Finals debut matches in Fort Worth.
Hopeful for a strong comeback at Indian Wells, she remains optimistic about her chances, making it clear that she’s ready to go deep at the BNP Paribas Open and turn the tide in her favor as soon as possible.
“The results will come,” Gauff remains optimistic ahead of her BNP Paribas Open run
After a first-round bye, Coco Gauff will kick off her BNP Paribas Open campaign on Saturday, facing Moyuka Uchijima, who stunned the 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu (6-3, 6-2) in the first round. This will be their first-ever meeting, with Uchijima currently ranked No. 52 in the PIF WTA rankings.
Gauff hasn’t had a great time at Indian Wells, historically with a 9-4 win-loss record. She reached the 2023 quarterfinals (only falling to Sabalenka) and pushed to the SF last year, where Maria Sakkari ended her 20-match unbeaten streak on US soil. Despite the recent setbacks in the Middle East, however, the 20-year-old is looking to make a deep run at the California desert this time around.
“I’m only 20 years old, going to be 21 next week. 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. It’s just one of those things that you just move on from and get better. The results will come,” Coco added.
With potential matchups against Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek looming, do you think Coco will be able to win her 10th WTA tour title at the Indian Wells? Share your thoughts below!
The post “Oh, She’s Sinking”: Shutting Down Doubters, Coco Gauff Claps Back After Middle East Slip-Ups appeared first on EssentiallySports.
