Coco Gauff explains why she’s never liked clay, despite French Open success

TL;DR

Coco Gauff, the defending champion at the French Open, shares her long-standing dislike for clay courts despite her success on the surface. She acknowledges her improvements and strengths that help her compete effectively against tough opponents.

Key points

Coco Gauff is the defending champion at the French Open.
She has a dislike for clay courts despite her success.
Gauff's quickness and energy are advantages on clay.
She faces tough opponents like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

Coco GauffFrench OpenAryna SabalenkaElena Rybakina

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Coco Gauff returns to the French Open this month as the defending champion, and she should feel confident about her chances of holding onto that title.

Even with some lingering concerns around her serve and forehand, there are clear signs of improvement every time she steps onto the court.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are always going to be tough opponents, but Gauff’s quickness and relentless energy give her a real edge on clay. The surface lets her lean into those strengths in a way hard courts often don’t.

But even though clay seems like it suits her game perfectly, Gauff has been open about not being a huge fan of playing on it.

Coco Gauff shares honest thoughts on playing on clay

Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images

With her first match in Madrid approaching, the 20-year-old spoke to BBC Sport about her feelings towards clay, using a light-hearted analogy to capture the relationship.

“You know, if you have a guy, and they just treat you good, and they do everything right, but it’s still, like, just not there,” she began, laughing. “That’s how I feel about clay.”

Gauff went on: “Like, I have great results on Clay. I do well on clay, but my socks get dirty, like, I have to take off my shoes before I get in my room.

“It’s just a lot of things that I also don’t like about it, but my career has been the first of everything on clay. Junior title there was my first Grand final and first doubles Grand Slam.

Reflecting further on her season so far, Gauff said she was pleased with how her serve has come together since moving onto the dirt. After months of battling inconsistency with it earlier in the year.