Coco Gauff Opens Up on What Needs to Change for Grass-Court Glory at Wimbledon

Coco Gauff has firmly planted her flag as a Grand Slam phenom, but the victory lap at Roland Garros has masked a glaring issue: her Wimbledon game still needs a serious overhaul.

The 21-year-old American, fresh off her French Open triumph, was stunned in the first round at Wimbledon by Dayana Yastremska — a shocker that has tennis obsessives pressing pause. In a candid post-match presser, Coco admitted she’d been physically and mentally overwhelmed, noting she barely had time to celebrate before facing a grass duel. Learning curves are one thing — but this was a landslide on Centre Court.

Let’s break it down: grass is a different beast. Coco’s baseline-dominated style — perfect for clay and hard courts — hasn’t translated. She struggled with the low bounce, misfires off the grass-speed serve, and a double-fault fest (she admitted to nine DFs and 29 unforced errors in one match) that turned the match into a highlight reel of “what not to do.”

Experts and coaches are now screaming “adjust the serve, spice up the forehand, own the net.” Rick Macci — Serena Williams’s former coach — tweeted that Coco must control the centre court and make her forehand a grass weapon, immediately. Tracy Austin echoed that message, urging Coco to kick the aggression up a notch and maybe bring her serve into the 130‑mph zone.

Coco herself agreed: she’s planning to adjust her game plan for grass events like Bad Homburg and Eastbourne, where she skipped this year. More first‑strike play, more slice forehands, more serve-and-volley presence.  She’s also dialing in mental rest, scheduling breathing space between Slams, and preparing for the US Open second-half push.

Bottom line: Coco’s not writing off Wimbledon. Quite the opposite. She’s measuring this loss, diagnosing the problems, and heading into summer like a scientist — lab-coat on, corrections planned, game-gear booted up. Grass-court mastery won’t come overnight. But with the humility to learn and the firepower to change, this isn’t a breakdown — it’s a breakthrough in motion.