WTA Stuttgart: Ambitious Coco Gauff Keeps French Open Expectations in Check Despite Burning Desire

At 20, Coco Gauff has achieved massive things in her tennis career. However, one thing that seems to be missing on her CV is a big title on one of her favorite surfaces, the clay court. While the American sensation came agonizingly close to winning the 2022 French Open title, she finished second-best after losing against Iga Swiatek. Recently, she made her priorities clear for the clay court season.

Gauff will open her campaign on red soil at the Stuttgart Open. She is the third seed and one favorite to win the title there. Ahead of her opening match, she made a surprising revelation.

Coco Gauff not looking at the French Open as yet

The American sensation likes to take it one step at a time. Coco Gauff was in no mood to rush things and recently explained why she wasn’t thinking about winning the French Open at this moment.

During the pre-match press conference, she said, “I think clay and hard are definitely my favorite surfaces. Again, I can play well on all of them depending on how I show up to a tournament, honestly. But for the clay court season this year, I’m really optimistic. Obviously the goal is to win French Open, but that’s every season of any top player. I mean, your goals should be to try to win the big tournament.”

Further, she went on to add, “But I’m not looking at French Open right now. I’m focused on Stuttgart. You know, I want to win, try to win Madrid or Rome or here.”

For Gauff to win the French Open title, she will need to raise her game, especially after a not-so-great start to the 2024 season. A few weeks ago, tennis legend Mats Wilander highlighted the areas of concern for Coco Gauff.

Wilander reveals Gauff’s two significant weaknesses

During an interview, Wilander acknowledged Coco Gauff’s massive rise but pointed out the things she has to work on to reach the next level. The American sensation’s serve and forehand were the prime topics of discussion.

Wilander revealed, “She serves harder. Don’t necessarily think she serves better. The forehand will always be a work in progress. With Brad Gilbert there, and now that she mentioned Andy Roddick, I think there is a very healthy situation around Coco.”

With the support of a strong backroom staff, Gauff can take her game to the next level. Further, coming to her Stuttgart Open campaign, she’ll face her compatriot, Sachia Vickery, in the round of 16. It’ll be interesting to see if Gauff can lift the title in Stuttgart.