Getty Image / Daniel Kopatsch
The bracket at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships had seemingly cleared out perfectly for Coco Gauff. The second-ranked player in the world, Iga Swiatek, lost in the third round, and superstar Aryna Sabalenka pulled out with an injury.
But, Gauff has wasted her chance at a first Wimbledon title, bowing out of the tournament in straight sets to fellow American Emma Navarro, 6-4 6-3.
First off, credit to Emma Navarro for the biggest win of her career. She’s part of the resurgence of American tennis that saw the USA get seven players through to the Round of 16 on the men’s and women’s side. Some sportsbooks now have her as the second favorite to win the title behind Elena Rybakina. She played an incredibly consistent match, attacked Coco’s weakness, and never folded under the pressure of Centre Court
But, this match was about Coco Gauff’s forehand or lack thereof. It’s long been a weakness in the 20-year-old’s game. While it has improved, it still will desert her at times, causing an avalanche of unforced errors. That’s what happened on Sunday at Wimbledon.
Coco looked shaky earlier, but it was still 4-4 through the first eight games of the first set. Then, the forehand errors started piling up. For the match, she ended up with 25 total unforced errors against just 12 winners. Most of those came on her forehand, and that’s a shot that has to be not only consistent but one that controls points on grass.
Prior to Sunday’s loss, Gauff had been rolling. Her first three wins of the tournament saw her drop just ten games total.
The forehand is fine if she’s trying to hit routine rally forehands. But, any time she tries to attack with it, the errors can start piling up. Not being aggressive with the forehand can work on other surfaces. But, every great grass court player ever has been able to dictate points with their forehand to then come to net behind it. Right now, she can’t.
By the end of the match, Gauff had lost all confidence in her forehand, and was frequently looking up to her family and coach Brad Gilbert for guidance. Frankly, there was nothing they could do for her. Navarro kept testing the forehand on big points, and it kept breaking down.
The forehand needing work isn’t news to Coco Gauff, and it’s not like she’s struggling to get results with her current forehand. Prior to this, she had gotten to the semifinals at the year’s first two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and the French Open, and she won the US Open last year. But, if she wants to be someone who wins double-digit slams, something she has the potential to do, she has to fix the forehand.