How Coco Gauff’s game was built for clay, according to Coco Vandeweghe

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Coco Gauff is under pressure to back up last year’s results this clay season, but she’s made a strong start at the Madrid Open.

Gauff took care of her first-round match with a straight-sets win over Leolia Jeanjean, 6-3, 6-0.

She reached the final in both Madrid and Rome last year before winning Roland Garros, meaning she’s holding 3,300 WTA points between those three events heading into the 2026 campaign.

The American has always been solid on clay, and statistically, it’s her strongest surface. She holds a career win percentage of 74% on clay compared to 71% on hard courts and just 67% on grass.

After her first-round win in Madrid, fellow American Coco Vandeweghe broke down why Gauff is such a force on clay.

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

Vandeweghe breaks down what makes Gauff stand out on clay

Chatting with Tennis Channel, Vandeweghe said: “She does everything well on the clay courts that you need to do well.

“You need to be able to move well and be able to transition out of the corners. Coco does that fantastically.

“It also doesn’t put as much pressure on her serve because she’s able to defend it that much better when it gets into a lot of second serve looks, and it makes the bounces really jump for Coco, which can help her forehand and off the ground.

“So everything that gets a little bit weaker when we get to the faster surface becomes her strength when we get to the clay courts.

“We’ve seen in years past that she does get better as the season goes on. She hasn’t really ever started too well when it comes to Australian Open and then heading into the American swing of Indian Wells and Miami.