Coco Gauff was among the high-profile players to suffer disappointing runs at the Madrid Open.
Gauff was grateful for her Madrid experience despite losing in the round of 16, where she was beaten 4-6, 6-1, 6-7(5-7) by Linda Noskova.
The American has dropped one place in the WTA rankings to fourth after the tournament, swapping places with Iga Swiatek.
But there are much more pressing concerns for Gauff than a mere rankings drop, according to former player Rennae Stubbs.
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Rennae Stubbs issues Coco Gauff ‘question marks’ after Madrid loss
The former doubles number one said on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast: “Noskova beating Coco was impressive, because Coco should have won that match.
“She was up four-one in the third, and may I just say on a roll. She won the second set six-one, was up four-one I believe. So basically was winning every game, it felt like for a while there.
“And then at four-one on her serve, kind of dropped the ball a little bit, just making really not great decisions on her shot selection, getting upset with herself.
“She’s showing her opponents this negativity on the court, which comes out, and you can’t do that against a Noskova, because Noskova is going to hit the ball through you, and that’s the biggest, worst opponent for Coco.
“And that’s what happened. And even in the third set tie-break, Coco was up in that tie-break, and should have put the match away.
“And just some poor decision-making from her. And I feel like the coaches have the opportunity to tell their player something.
“Whether it’s just tactical to get them away from the emotional side of it. And I just felt like there was a lot of ‘Come on, you’ve got this, come on’.
“Even Hailey Baptiste was told ‘You’ve got this, big heart’, you know all this sort of stuff. No! Just tell her to play the forehand.
“Like in certain circumstances, you’ve got to give the player a tactic in those moments. Yes, tell them to stay calm, but you’ve got to have a tactic.
“And I think that Coco got a little bit lost. The forehand wasn’t firing well, the serve was just sitting there for Noskova to go after.
“So there’s a lot of question marks for Coco going clearly into Rome and to defend her title in France, because the confidence is definitely not there. But Noskova, another great young player.”
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Coco Gauff handed tough Italian Open final route
Gauff is indeed the defending champion at the French Open, having claimed her second Grand Slam title in Paris last year.
But up first is the Italian Open, where the American third seed starts out in round two after receiving a bye in round one.
She’ll face the winner of Yulia Putintseva versus Tereza Valentova in her opening match, potentially followed by a meeting with Emma Raducanu.
In round four, Gauff could be forced to take on compatriot Iva Jovic, with Madrid Open runner-up Mirra Andreeva representing a potential quarterfinal spot.
The American could then be tasked with taking on top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Italian Open, followed by a possible final clash against Elena Rybakina.
Gauff is chasing a first WTA title of her 2026 season in Rome, and the 12th of her impressive career at the age of 22.
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