John McEnroe reacts to Coco Gauff’s surprise defeat at the Australian Open as he makes confident prediction about her future

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John McEnroe shared his assessment on Coco Gauff’s first loss of the 2025 season.

The 20-year-old’s Australian Open campaign is now at an end following a 5-7, 4-6 loss to Spain’s Paula Badosa.

Gauff struck an alarming 41 unforced errors during the contest which the 11th seed won in one hour and 43 minutes.

The defeat means the American’s quest for a first Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open continues while Badosa is into the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career.

What did John McEnroe say about Coco Gauff’s Australian Open defeat?

Gauff has been on a great run dating back to winning the China Open in October.

Since then she has won the WTA Finals and the United Cup, and entered the Australian Open unbeaten in 2025.

She also had not lost a set, but that run is now at an end after losing to Badosa in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

Gauff committed multiple errors on her forehand and served six double faults, two areas of her game that continue to be inconsistent.

John McEnroe assessed the surprise on Eurosport and cited these two aspects of Gauff’s as areas for improvement. 

“I was really surprised – pleasantly surprised – by how Badosa played and the power she brought to the occasion. She kept her composure, it was very hot out there,” he said on Eurosport.

“Coco Gauff, yeah, there were some chinks in the armour. The serve went off a little. Way too many missed forehands, but I really enjoyed watching the way Badosa was able to handle that. So give her a lot of credit.

“Back to the drawing board for Coco. But she is not far away. I thought she was going to win that match but she can definitely improve and she will improve.”

Coco Gauff reacts to her Australian Open defeat

Gauff was called one of the clear favourites for the Australian Open title alongside defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, given her form coming into the tournament.

But she fell short of her quest for a first Australian Open title as Badosa reached her first Grand Slam semi-final.

Despite the disappointing defeat, Gauff is taking the positives from her improved form over the last three months. “I feel like I’m on the road to the right path. I’m not crushed,” she said.

“I think at the US Open I felt from the start of the year to that point I had maybe, not gone backwards, but backwards or a little bit stagnant. Even though I lost today, I feel like I’m on an upward trajectory.

“I’m not crushed, but obviously it does feel bad when you feel like you’re playing great tennis for the better start of this year to lose, but it is what it is. We’ll get back to work.”