Gauff Falls at Wimbledon: Analysis of the Surprising Defeat and Its Causes

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WIMBLEDON, England – Coco Gauff experienced a surprising defeat in the first round of Wimbledon this Tuesday, marking her earliest exit in a Grand Slam in two years at the same tournament. The Roland Garros champion last month, the American, committed nine double faults and struggled during the match, losing with a score of 7-6 (3), 6-1 to Dayana Yastremska, world number 42, from Ukraine.

Analysis of Gauff’s Defeat

Gauff’s performance was affected by several key factors.

Gauff’s Service: A Weak Point

Gauff’s serve, historically vulnerable, failed to hold this time. Despite the roof being closed, eliminating any influence from the elements, Gauff struggled to find rhythm. Her second serve, in particular, was poor, exerting significant pressure. Yastremska, positioned near the baseline, intensified the pressure.

Gauff recorded nine double faults and won only 44% of the points with her second serve. In addition, she only achieved 45% effectiveness on her first serve, which Yastremska took full advantage of.

Mental Exhaustion

The victory at the French Open clearly took its toll on Gauff. The American tennis player had to work hard to advance in Paris, and the final was especially demanding. After winning a Grand Slam title, a break would be ideal, but Gauff had little time to recover mentally. She lost her only preparation match in Berlin, and the lack of motivation was evident. She only managed six winning shots, which showed her lack of competitiveness.

I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came after, so I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it. But it’s the first time in this experience of coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and wouldn’t do again.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff en Wimbledon
Wimbledon es el único Grand Slam donde Gauff aún no ha llegado a los cuartos de final.

Yastremska: A Formidable Rival

Yastremska, ranked 42nd, was close to being seeded. The Ukrainian reached the final in Nottingham and the quarterfinals in Eastbourne. Although her best performance at Wimbledon was reaching the round of 16 in 2019, she is a quality player who reached the semifinals in Australia a couple of years ago. Despite committing 25 unforced errors, Yastremska managed 16 winners. “I think it was a great match today, I was really on a roll,” she commented. “I hope the journey continues, and it’s a pleasure to be here.” Gauff agreed. “She played great. I saw the draw and knew it would be a tough match for me. I played her on clay [in April], and I think that surface suits me a little better. It was still a tough three-set match [then]. Yeah, I knew it would be tough today.”
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