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Following her defeat to Emma Navarro at Wimbledon on Sunday, Coco Gauff did not shy away from self-criticism. The reigning US Open champion and No. 2 seed at the All England Club was ousted in the fourth round by her fellow American with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3.
Gauff, visibly frustrated during the match, repeatedly sought guidance from her guest box, but the support she received did not translate into a turnaround on the court.
“I have the ability to raise my level when players play well, and I feel I didn't do that today,” Gauff said, via the Associated Press.
“They usually gave me something,” she added, referring to her coaches. “Today, I don't think we were all in sync. It's no one's fault but me. I'm the player out there.”
The latest setback continues a pattern for Gauff at Wimbledon, where she has yet to advance beyond the fourth round. The 20-year-old from Florida made a sensational debut at the tournament at age 15, reaching the fourth round after a memorable victory over Venus Williams.
However, her subsequent appearances have not seen further progress, exiting in the fourth round in 2021, the third round in 2022 and the first round last year.
Against Navarro, Gauff struggled with her forehand, a known weakness that her opponent exploited. Gauff committed 16 unforced errors with her forehand, in addition to another 16 forced errors, which contributed significantly to her defeat. In total, Navarro won 61 points, with more than half coming from Gauff's forehand mistakes.
“We had a game plan going in, and I felt that it wasn't working,” Gauff said. “I don't always ask for advice from the box, but today was one of those moments where I felt like I didn't have solutions. Mentally, it was a lot going on, and I felt like I wanted more direction.”
Emma Navarro's impressive Wimbledon match vs. Coco Gauff
Navarro, who has had an impressive run at this year's Wimbledon, was also forthright in her postmatch comments.
“I played really aggressively. Coco's obviously an amazing player. I have a ton of respect for her, and what she's done at such a young age is really amazing,” Navarro said.
The 19th seed, who hails from South Carolina and won an NCAA championship for Virginia, reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
The defeat of Gauff is part of a broader pattern of early exits by top women players at this year's Wimbledon. No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek lost on Saturday. No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew with a shoulder injury before playing a match, and No. 6 Marketa Vondrousova lost in the first round.
This leaves only two of the Top 10 seeds still in contention: 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, who is seeded fourth, and recent French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini, who is seeded seventh and will face Navarro next.
For Navarro, the victory is a significant milestone, marking her arrival as a serious contender on the Grand Slam stage.
“I knew she wasn't going to make it easy on me tonight,” Navarro said of Gauff. “But I wanted to play aggressively and push back against her game, and I think I was able to do that.”
