Once a symbol of youthful exuberance and tennis prowess, Coco Gauff is now grappling with an unexpected slump. The teenager who ignited the tennis world with her fiery play is now facing a crossroads in her career. Her recent early exits from tournaments stand in stark contrast to her previous triumphs. As questions swirl about the reasons behind her decline, insights from former pro Monica Puig and tennis journalist John Wertheim may shed light on this puzzling situation.

Gauff’s grass-court performances over the last couple of months have been worrisome. Since clinching the doubles title at the French Open earlier, Gauff has not been able to go past the initial rounds of several tournaments, let alone compete in the finals! While at Wimbledon it was Emma Navarro who threw her off the tournament, at the Olympics, Donna Vekic, a World No. 23 player (21 ranks below Gauff) ended the 20-year-old’s dreams of earning a Gold medal. And now following a third-round exit from the Canadian Open, the seven singles titlist  has found herself in a worse situation in Cincinnati. 

It is the same place where she won the title before heading to the U.S. Open last year. But this season, her lacking form has slipped into the grounds of her home country as well and she bid adieu to the event after a round of 32 loss at the hands of world No. 34, Yulia Putintseva. This makes it to a tally of 2 out of 4 losses in straight sets. Discussing this disappointing trend on the Tennis Channel, after the match, the host asked Wertheim, “What is your level of concern for Gauff’s game, heading into the U.S. Open?”.

In response, he advised her to shift her mindset, focusing on building momentum rather than burying herself with the pressure of defending a title. “I don’t know if it is her game or just sort of her mental approach.” After adding how it is missing from her recent performances, he added,

“I think you say to her listen you are not defending a US Open title those points are gone. You are trying to create. You are trying to start something. You are trying to start building. Last year she had so much momentum going into New York. Very little now. Fortunes can change quickly in the sport. We have seen it with Coco, sort of good and bad. But yeah 16 of the last 18 points that is not how you want to go out before you go and defend the One major you have won.”

Puig, who experienced a similar position during her career, added, “For Coco, this is the first time she is defending three big titles back to back. Maybe that is affecting her mental space. This is something that she has to deal with and she is young and I’m glad she is learning these lessons now rather than later.”

As the concerns are rising, Gauff is focusing on “resetting,” to make a massive comeback at the U.S. Open wherein she defeated Aryna Sabalenka last year to win her maiden grand slam.

Gauff wants to work on her “consistency” before her U.S. Open tournament 

When Gauff arrived at the Cincinnati Masters, she had experienced four tour-level losses dating back to the French Open. The Florida native tried to defend her title as best as she could, but it did not help her win the match as it ended at (4-6, 6-2, 4-6). The American player who was only able to win the ASB classic event this year now intends to introspect and find her rhythm back on-court. “I feel like I have to work on consistency, overall,” she said after her latest match in Cincinnati.

Gauff made 50 unforced errors in her match against Putintseva, which also included nine double faults. However, the American tennis player has decided to learn from her mistakes and deliver a better performance next time. “I will probably go home and try to reset. Obviously, I have a lot coming up soon with the US Open. So I think just trying to reset and be ready for that,” 

But as Puig and Wertheim pointed out, it was maybe a more mental roadblock than a technical one for her. Either way, one thing remains to be seen if she can overcome this mental hurdle and rediscover her winning form at the U.S. Open.