Clay is typically a surface that is an Achilles heel for American tennis players, but not for Coco Gauff.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed success on the red courts with the French Open looming, she wants to go a step further on a surface she feels ‘comfortable on.’
Gauff has enjoyed strong clay seasons in recent yearsGettyWhen it comes to Grand Slam singles finals, Gauff is split between hard and clay courts, having finished runner-up at the 2022 French Open and won the US Open in 2023.
Iga Swiatek triumphed at Roland Garos three years ago — one of four titles in Paris. But having now demolished the Pole at the Madrid Open, Gauff will feel every bit confident she can go even further this year.
Especially while playing the best she ever has on clay.
“When I was younger, I always thought my best surface was hard, and then I got on tour, and I thought my best surface was on clay, and then the US Open, and I was like maybe it is hard!” Gauff told Tennis Channel.
“But I don’t know, there’s something about clay that I have always felt comfortable on. I feel like this year, more than ever, I am moving the best that I have, especially so early in the clay season.”
Gauff is in somewhat of a slump by her own very high standards after failing to win a title and suffering multiple early exits in tournaments this year.
Off the back of losing in the quarter-finals to Padula Badosa at the Australian Open in January, Gauff lost back-to-back first-round matches at the Qatar Open and Dubai Championships.
The sunshine double saw a slight improvement, but she wasn’t able to get past the third round at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
So the clay swing has come at the perfect time as the American bids to win her first title in 2025, and she has settled in straight away,
The 21-year-old reached the quarterfinals in Stuttgart before reaching the Madrid Open final, where she fought a spirited match but ultimately lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
Coco Gauff has spoken about how she enjoys playing on clayGetty Gauff claimed victory at the French Open last year in the doublesGettyGauff has admitted that she’s found her groove on clay and is happy to be producing results ahead of the French Open.
“I usually really don’t find it [movement] until Roland Garros, but I feel like I have found it here [Madrid],” Gauff added.
“It’s a really physical surface and I think if you are not physically ready it kind of exposes you and I think it rewards me because I am a physical player and I do like to move and I can be aggressive, but also sit there and grind if I have to.”
Clay has often been a burial for American stars, but Gauff has reversed the trend with her results at the French Open.
Two semi-finals and a final in Paris, along with a doubles title in 2024, is success she can be proud of at the age of 21.
Only three of Serena Williams‘ 23 majors came at the French Open, and she is still the last American to win the title in Paris since 2015.
While an American man hasn’t won a French Open singles title since 1999, when Andre Agassi beat Andrei Medvedev.
Players from the USA tend to struggle on the surface as a result of the lack of opportunities to play on the red clay used in European tournaments like the French Open at a grassroots level.
Many of the already limited number of clay courts in the United States are fast, low-bounce versions — the polar opposite of those from across the pond.
Nonetheless, there is every bit of chance that Gauff could be the one to end the decade-long wait for an American champion at the French Open this year.
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