Coco Gauff is still working to find her rhythm on grass, with another loss adding to a stretch of difficult results.
After an earlier-than-expected exit at Roland Garros, Gauff had extra time to get ready for the switch to grass courts.
But that additional preparation time didn’t pay off right away. Gauff dropped her opening match of the grass season at the Berlin Open, losing in straight sets to Paula Badosa.
She has yet to win a singles match on grass since 2024, and former doubles world No. 1 Rennae Stubbs recently broke down why those struggles might be more pronounced on this surface.
Rennae Stubbs believes Gauff’s game is more vulnerable on grass
Speaking on her podcast, Stubbs broke down Gauff’s latest loss and pointed to her forehand grip as a key issue, especially on the quicker surface.
The Australian also mentioned that Gauff’s second serve has been a weakness, adding that grass surfaces tend to make those flaws more apparent compared to hard or clay courts.
“I think the bottom line is with Coco is that her forehand grip is always going to be a problem on grass,” said Stubbs. “A very extreme Western grip on a fast surface is not ideal.
“And if she plays a [Dayana] Yastremska, who she lost in the first round of Wimbledon last year, or a big, flat hitting ball-striker on grass, it is a shot that is going to get taken advantage of because on grass like a Donna Vekic, you have to hit the ball flat and hard.
“And if you don’t, you’d better have, like, Iga Swiatek, very quick, fast hands through the ball. And you have to go to get down, and you have to release the racket head, and you’ve got to get it through the ball on grass.
“And maybe a suggestion, you know, as she has to work out a way for backhand-to-backhand rallies, and if the ball’s on her forehand and it’s deep, she has to really accelerate. And if she doesn’t, she has to try and get so that as many occasions as she can so people are taking advantage of her forehand camp.”
Stubbs added: “You know, look at some good wins, but she has had some good wins. She’s had some good wins, but when someone just comes in, serves well, and takes advantage of your serve, especially your second serve.”
What Is Coco Gauff’s Best Result at Wimbledon?
At just 22 years old, Coco Gauff is set for her seventh main draw appearance at Wimbledon this year.
She first burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old in 2019, making her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon and reaching the fourth round after an impressive win over Venus Williams.
Since then, though, she hasn’t made it past the fourth round, with grass remaining her weakest surface statistically.
Her last win on grass also came in 2024 during Wimbledon when she defeated Sonay Kartal in the third round. Since then, victories on the surface have been hard to come by.
This year’s main draw gets underway on Monday, June 29th, and Gauff will be looking to change her fortunes and pick up some much-needed wins. With a bit of confidence early on, there’s no reason she can’t put together a strong run this time around.
Read more:
