“This isn’t fair. I feel like I’m getting cheated on constantly in this game,” a teary-eyed Coco Gauff had lamented to the chair umpire in Paris during the third-round singles match against Croatia’s Donna Vekic, which she lost. Ruing the “unfair” call made against her, this is just one instance where the defending US Open champion was seen sliding from her spectacular form as seen last year.

Though Gauff is currently World No.2 just behind Iga Swiatek, her recent slump has garnered a pointed critique—the recent one being from journalist Ben Rothenberg—underscoring the mounting pressure on Gauff as she navigates this rough patch in her career.

“Sabalenka and Rybakina are too shaky to be called a constellation of stars in women’s tennis. Same with Coco. Despite being number two in the WTA rankings, it is hard to find any spectacular result in her case this season,” he said. Gauff’s performance has significantly decreased as the 2024 US Open draws near, raising questions about her readiness to defend her championship and get back to her best as the tournament draws near.

The 20-year-old hit a snag as she stumbled in the first round against Yulia Putintseva in the Cincinnati Open, days after her quarterfinals exit in the Canadian Open against Diana Shnaider. At Wimbledon earlier this year, the player was eliminated in the fourth round after losing 6-4, 6-3 to fellow American Emma Navarro. Notably, Gauff has now lost her previous five games against players who are ranked inside the top 50 of the WTA. This decline is a stark contrast to her form leading up to the US Open the previous year when she became the first American to win the tournament since Serena Williams in 1999. Later, she was also nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards for Breakthrough of the Year.

However, despite several creased foreheads, not everyone thinks Gauff’s current situation is that serious. Retired Puerto Rican tennis veteran and Olympic gold medalist, Monica Puig speculated that the circumstances would really be to her advantage.

In an interview with Tennis Channel, Puig stated, “For Coco this is the first time she is defending three really big titles back to back to back and maybe that’s affecting her mental space.” Despite these losses, Puig thinks Gauff may learn from her previous disappointments and turn them into a strength as she gets ready for the year’s last Grand Slam.

But the young player is certainly feeling the pressure it seems, as she shared her disappointing take on her loss in the Cincinnati Open.

Coco Gauff’s honest confession

Surprisingly, Gauff refused to attend the press conference following her 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 loss to Yulia Putintseva in Cincinnati, although she did have a brief conversation with the WTA Tour to discuss her and her opponent’s performances.

The defeat was especially shocking given how she had earned her career-first WTA 1000 title at the same tournament just a year ago, defeating Karolína Muchová. The World No. 2 acknowledged Putintseva’s strategic performance but voiced dissatisfaction with her remarkably high total of 50 unforced errors, including nine double faults.

She stated, “It was not the best match for me. I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2 (in the third). I think most of the points she won were off my errors,” before adding, “She’s always a tricky opponent to play. She mixes up the ball. She has drop shots, slice. She’s kind of someone that makes you earn the match.”Gauff will join an elite group of women’s singles players who have won the coveted hardcourt major several times if she is successful in defending her US Open title.

This club includes Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Naomi Osaka, Justine Henin, Monica Seles, Tracy Austin, and Steffi Graf. Will she be able to defend her one and only slam?