French Open: How Florida Played a Crucial Role in Chris Evert and Coco Gauff’s Humongous Success on Clay?

The red clay of the French Open has opened doors of success and fulfilled the dreams of many tennis players. For the two Florida-based girls, Chris Evert and Coco Gauff, this honorable Grand Slam tournament also holds an extraordinary place in their hearts. Although both come from two different generations, their early experiences on the red clay make for a magical connection between the two. They explained how the “confidence” that they gained by playing at the French Open encouraged them to achieve bigger dreams in tennis.

When Chris Evert turned pro back in 1972, the professional world of tennis was a bit different from now. However, even as a teenager, Evert’s prowess on-court was commendable. At only 19 years of age, she not only beat Billie Jean King in Paris but also clinched her maiden Grand Slam victory at the French Open by defeating Olga Morozova. After all, her connection to red dirt started early on as she refined her skills on clay courts in Florida. “I had so much more confidence playing at the French Open than anywhere else,” she once admitted.

With her powerful baseline approach and groundstrokes, Evert went on to earn her second consecutive title at the French Open next year. Although she did not come back for the next three years in Paris, the former World No. 1 eventually made a record by winning a total of seven Grand Slams among her 13 appearances at the French Open.

“This is the surface I grew up on. It suits me perfectly. No one can overpower me. No one can blow me off the court. I am more patient than anyone. I’m going to hit with depth and placement and just wear them down,” Evert later said.

The dominance of the American player on the clay court speaks volumes as she has a record win percentage of 94. 55% there. However, two decades have passed since the 69-year-old former player has retired. But Roland Garros has continued to shape young players. Much like Evert, the American sweetheart, Coco Gauff also comes from Florida. 

“Red clay is honestly something that I grew up on, something I’ve been playing on since I was ten years old,” Coco Gauff said. The 20-year-old player who became the youngest player (18) to compete at the Roland Garros final also enjoys a deep connection with the red clay. “It’s always the first for me, my breakout [surface]: My first junior Grand Slam was on red clay.

My first major quarter-final was on red clay, my first final… It’s a lot of ‘firsts’ for me on the surface and [that] gives me a lot of confidence,” said Coco Gauff. However, for the last two consecutive years (2023, and 2024), Coco Gauff has fallen short against Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, respectively. But this has not dampened her spirits.

Coco Gauff is “proud” of her performance at Roland Garros this season

Coco Gauff’s French Open dreams came to an end after she lost to the world No. 1 by 2-6, 4-6. Nevertheless, the reigning U.S. Open Champion is taking home a lot of lessons learned from the French Open. When asked about her thoughts on her performance, her optimism was noticeable.

“It was a tough match as always, she played at a tough level and it was, um, I think I made a lot of errors but you know, overall I am happy. Well, I don’t know about happy but I’m proud of the run and I hope to go further next time.”

Continuing her statement, she further criticized her performance against Swiatek, who has an 11-1 lead over Coco Gauff. “I feel like I wasn’t always like hit off the court today. I just felt like I made too many, um, errors, especially on shorter balls.” The French Open is soon coming to an end for this season, but the allure of Roland Garros will continue to shape the careers of various players like Evert and Gauff.