After experiencing the elation of capturing her first French Open title Coco Gauff has not made a promising start on grass.
It is well documented how short a timeframe players have to switch from clay to grass courts.
Just under two weeks after her success in Paris, Coco Gauff was back on court at the Berlin Open ready to commence her grass court season.
But her time in the German capital was short-lived as the 21-year-old suffered a straight-sets defeat in her opening match.
Coco Gauff sends a message on social media after losing in Berlin
Gauff commenced her WTA Berlin Open campaign against Wang Xinyu.
The American defeated her in their only previous meeting in 2022, which also occurred in Berlin.
Three years later the Chinese star claimed her revenge by beating Gauff 6-3, 6-3 to claim her second successive top 20 win of 2025 after defeating Daria Kasatkina in the previous round.
Gauff looked out of sorts as she hit 25 unforced errors and registered seven double faults against the World number 49.
Following her defeat Gauff posted a message on social media reflecting on her defeat, and the challenges of a quick transition from clay to grass courts.
“It was a tough one today but I’m happy to be back on court,” he said. “I tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn’t enough.
“As always, I’m learning as I go so I hope to do better next time. Thank you Berlin for the short but sweet visit, I’ll come back stronger next year.”
Coco Gauff has work to do ahead of Wimbledon
In 2019, Gauff announced herself on the world stage by defeating Venus Williams at the age of 15 at Wimbledon.
But since then Gauff has struggled at the All-England Club and she has yet to go beyond the fourth round.
In 2023, she lost in the first round to Sofia Kenin, and Emma Navarro ended the World number two’s run a year ago.
The quicker and lower-bouncing surface has caused Gauff problems and she looks set to enter Wimbledon with just one match on grass.
But with the joy of winning the French Open still fresh in her mind, Gauff will feel confident about her chances of having a strong Wimbledon run.
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