Kim Clijsters suggests Coco Gauff made a big mistake before Wimbledon even started, ‘I was actually surprised’

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Coco Gauff suffered the biggest shock in the early stages of Wimbledon, having crashed out in the first round.

Gauff hit nine double faults in her meeting with Dayana Yastremska, who won their Wimbledon encounter 7-6(7-3), 6-1.

She was the second seed at the grass court Grand Slam, which Gauff entered after a defeat in her opening match in Berlin.

But that loss came directly after the WTA number two clinched her second Grand Slam title, having triumphed at the French Open.

She defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final, having beaten the same opponent in the 2023 US Open final.

Kim Clijsters thinks Coco Gauff made a mistake before Wimbledon started

But four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters believes the player did make a mistake before making the trip to Wimbledon.

Clijsters watched Novak Djokovic beat Alexandre Muller, and has now said of Gauff’s loss on BBC Sounds: “The one thing on Coco’s end that she can do a bit differently from yesterday and I was actually surprised after the French Open, I was there for a few days and I flew back to the States to where my family is, and I saw Coco.

READ MORE: Coco Gauff already knows what her coaching team is going to tell her after her shock defeat at Wimbledon

“Not that she is not allowed, but she was doing the morning shows and the late night shows and the NBA and WNBA games.

“There is a choice you make, right, at some point? If you know that grass and it takes you a little bit of time to adjust to the surface, maybe that wasn’t the smartest decision.

“Maybe that extra week or a few extra days of practice on the surface could have made a bit of a difference to feel more comfortable out there.

“She is still so young and she can learn from decisions and choices that you make, but sometimes I wonder with agencies and making decisions to do promotions and things like that, if it’s always in the best interest of the player.”

What is Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon record after shock first round loss?

As Clijsters mentioned, Gauff is still in the very early stages of her career, with the 21-year-old certain to get better with time.

She has shown her maturity on and off the court time and again despite her youth, but perhaps more practice on grass would have been a very wise decision.

READ MORE: What happened to Coco Gauff at the US Open the last time she lost in the first round of Wimbledon

Legendary figure Clijsters didn’t quite get over the line at the All England Club, but the Belgian certainly knew what it took to clinch major success.

The former world number one won four of her eight Grand Slam finals, with all four of those victories coming on hard courts.

For Gauff, plenty of factors were very likely behind her shock defeat at Wimbledon, including the very impressive display from her opponent.

Yastremska deserves huge praise for her performance and general handling of the match, although the pressure was undoubtedly on Gauff.

All eyes were on the American at Wimbledon following her French Open triumph, and not many people would have predicted such an early exit.

Whether or not her off-court adventures in the United States played a part will never be known, but it does seem that change is needed for her next Wimbledon attempt.

Gauff already has plans for Wimbledon 2026, but still has plenty of opportunities for further career success before then.

Importantly, she mustn’t let her latest setback overshadow her superb efforts on the court in recent times.