COCO GAUFF RETURNS HOME TO MIAMI OPEN AFTER TOUGH MATCHES
Coco Gauff smiled and shrugged on Monday when asked about people worrying every time she loses two or three matches in a row. She doesn’t see it as a big problem, but fans and former players seem to think otherwise.
“Sometimes when I don’t play well, people assume something is wrong with me personally,” Gauff said before the Miami Open, where the women’s matches start on Tuesday and the men’s on Wednesday.
If she loses early in a couple of tournaments—like she did in Australia, Qatar, and Dubai earlier this year—people start asking if she’s okay.
“I’m like, ‘I just lost a few matches! I’m fine!'” Gauff said with a laugh.
Since she is ranked No. 3, she gets a first-round bye at the Miami Open. She will begin her tournament in the second round against either Petra Kvitova or Sofia Kenin, both former Grand Slam winners.
“I’m not happy with those losses, but every player has ups and downs,” she admitted. “I still think I have a few more years before I reach the point where every week feels great.”
Gauff, who lives near Miami, also explained that she’s been making changes to her game, which has made things a bit harder for now.
Gauff’s Game Adjustments Affect Her Performance
Gauff has been open about the changes she’s making, which started after she won the U.S. Open last year. She switched coaches, worked on improving her second serve, and adjusted her forehand to avoid mistakes.
Since she first became famous as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019—when she defeated Venus Williams—Gauff’s backhand has been known as one of the best. But opponents usually target her forehand, which she is still working to improve.
Her last match was a tough three-set loss to Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the fourth round at Indian Wells last week. Bencic later said she noticed Gauff getting nervous when the match was close, so she focused on attacking her forehand.
Gauff calls the Miami Open her “home tournament” because it is played in the same stadium where the NFL’s Miami Dolphins play. However, she has never advanced past the fourth round, holding a 6-5 record in the event.
Even though people keep talking about her losses, Gauff doesn’t like to dwell on them. But as one of the top-ranked players in the world, she knows expectations are high.
“It can be frustrating when people make a big deal about losing two matches in a row,” she admitted. “If I weren’t a top-five player, no one would even talk about it. But when you’re at the top, people expect you to win. And I expect that from myself, too.”
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