World No. 7 Coco Gauff reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the fourth time in her career. This stage has been her toughest hurdle at the All England Club, as she was eliminated here three times in 2019, 2021, and 2024. On Friday, Gauff faced a challenging match against fellow American Claire Liu in the third round, ultimately winning in three hard-fought sets.
During the post-game press conference on Friday, the two-time Grand Slam champion addressed the media, reflecting on her early exit at the French Open and her progress into the second week of Wimbledon, with hopes of finally overcoming the elusive round 4 barrier.
“Yeah, I mean, definitely wouldn’t have thought third round French and fourth round here. Definitely reverse results. I’ve been in the fourth round a couple times here. I’m really hoping to get over the next step and make it to the quarterfinals here. That would be a big accomplishment for me, I think. But yeah, I’m definitely happy just to be in the second week of this tournament,” Gauff said.
Gauff is enduring a dry spell in terms of trophies and titles this year. She has reached only two finals this season, the Miami Open and the Italian Open, losing both to Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina, respectively. The 22-year-old has a lot to prove in London this week.
Coco Gauff Hoped to Play ‘A Little Better’ After Tough R3 Win Against Liu
Admitting there were areas for improvement in her game, Gauff said she would like to play a little better moving forward and assert more command from the outset. Furthermore, she reflected on her serve, which came through at crucial moments in the match.
“I mean, I don’t know. I feel like I played great in some moments and not so great in others. I guess that’s tennis. I definitely would like to play a little bit better. But I don’t know, I feel like it’s just because this isn’t a surface I’m always comfortable on. I’m really just trying to learn and see what works for me,” Gauff said.
“I was going for my serve today. I wasn’t quite landing them as I did the first match. I had a bunch of aces the first match. I also played a better returner… But then again, my serve did get me out of some tough games, too… I’ve been serving well, and I just need to maybe mix it up a little bit more,” she added.
Gauff will face a tough opponent in the fourth round on Sunday, World No. 11 Belinda Bencic. Will Gauff overcome her round 4 demons at Wimbledon, or will the 22-year-old American crumble under pressure once again? That question will be answered live tomorrow at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
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