World No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff shared her candid take on clay-court tournaments and how the surface has treated her in recent years. While admitting she produces better results on clay than on any other surface, Gauff revealed the one aspect she didn’t appreciate about the red dirt.
After a disappointing loss in her opening clay-court swing tournament in Stuttgart, Gauff quickly shifted focus to the Madrid Open, where she reached the final last year.
Ahead of her opening-round match in the Spanish capital, the 22-year-old American sat down for an exclusive interview with the Tennis Channel, where she spoke her mind about the clay surface.
“You know, if you have a guy and they just treat you good and they do everything right, but it’s still just not there. That’s how I feel about clay. I have great results on clay. I do well on clay, but my socks get dirty. Like I have to take off my shoes like before I get in my room. It’s just a lot of things that I also don’t like about it,” Gauff said.
“But my career on clay has always been the first of everything. Junior title there, my first Grand Slam final, my first doubles Grand Slam. So it’s just one of those guys. It’s just, you know, maybe nice guys finish last,” she added.
Gauff’s mother, Candi, was quick to share her reaction to the reigning Roland Garros champion’s hilarious explanation about the relationship with the clay surface and how she doesn’t like it when her socks get dirty. “Sometimes you gotta get a little dirty,” commented Gauff’s mother.
Coco Gauff to Feature in Both Singles and Doubles at Madrid Open
This will only be the second time this year that Gauff will participate in both singles and doubles since she last paired with Victoria Mboko at Qatar Open in Doha in February. This time, however, there will be a change in partnership in the Spanish capital as Gauff is set to team up with fellow American Robin Montgomery in women’s doubles.
Gauff and Montgomery will commence their journey in Madrid against the Italian-Russian pairing of Giuliana Olmos and Irina Khromacheva in round 1 on Thursday. Gauff will also play her singles opener on the same day, with her first-round opponent yet to be decided, as several matches of the Round of 128 are still underway in Madrid.
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