Second seed Coco Gauff was stunned at the All-England Club on Tuesday as she bowed out of Wimbledon in her very first hurdle. Dayana Yastremska beat the American young gun in straight sets, 7-6 6-1. Gauff just came off winning the French Open and was one of the hot favorites for the title in London.
Fans first took notice of the American back in 2019 when she beat legend Venus Williams at this very venue as a teenager. However, since then the tournament has not been kind to Gauff as her best result is reaching the fourth round. The other Grand Slams have been much more profitable, with titles in Paris and New York.
What’s next for Coco Gauff?
It is interesting to note that this is not the first time Gauff has been stunned in her first round at Wimbledon. A couple of years back she was similarly knocked out by Sofia Kenin. To her credit, Gauff responded in fine fashion by making the North American hard courts her target. She made it to the quarterfinals at the Montreal Masters.
She further then leveled up her game to grab her first masters titles in Cincinnati that year. To make a grand finish–and in true terms to bounce back from the Wimbledon loss–she went on to lift her first Grand Slam in New York at the US Open.
The American can draw great inspiration from what she manufactured a couple of years ago. She must believe that she is in great form, and her recent French Open is great evidence of that. What is in her favor also is that the tour moves to her part of the world, where she will be closer to her friends and family.
Gauff will look to dominate once again on the North American hard courts and shrug off the Wimbledon upset. With time, she will also have to work on her game on the grass. It is crucial for a talent like hers to develop a game that adjusts well to all surfaces.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
