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Fresh off a disappointing final loss at the Italian Open, WTA star Coco Gauff was all smiles opening her 2025 French Open campaign.
With a moment that had the crowd laughing before a single point was played, the second seed walked onto Court Philippe-Chatrier looking calm and focused, but soon realized she had forgotten something important.
Her rackets were missing.
A few moments later, a ball boy sprinted across the court holding her bag, which sparked applause and laughter from the fans. The court announcer added to the fun by joking, “That’s better,” earning more cheers from the amused crowd.
Gauff smiled and shook her head before getting on with business.
The 21-year-old quickly shrugged off the delay and delivered a clean performance, beating Australia’s Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour. Gauff showed poise and control throughout the match, mixing her powerful forehand with smart shot selection and strong movement on clay.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the world number 2 playfully blamed the moment on her coach. She shared that he usually puts the rackets in her bag before each match because of his superstition.
“I’m blaming it on my coach. It’s OK,” she said post-game. Later, she posted a to-do list on social media with “put tennis rackets in bag” left unchecked and added the caption, “oops, forgot the last one.”
oops, forgot the last one pic.twitter.com/ajqcgFg6mn
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) May 27, 2025
Gadecki, despite the loss, joined in the lightheartedness and joked that the mistake might have been her only chance at gaining the upper hand. “Now that I think about it, it seems like that was the only way I was going to win the match,” she said. “It was a funny little incident.”
Gauff has grown into one of tennis’s brightest stars since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019. She won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, becoming the youngest American champion since Serena Williams in 1999.
Her trophy haul includes WTA titles in Cincinnati, Washington, and Auckland, along with several doubles wins.
Off the court, Gauff continues to make waves in the fashion world. She recently debuted a collaboration between New Balance and Miu Miu, featuring performancewear, outerwear, and accessories.
The capsule collection, which includes co-branded versions of her signature shoe, the Coco CG2, will be available for purchase starting September 10, 2025, and will be worn by Gauff at tournaments throughout the year .
Gauff’s victory marks her sixth consecutive first-round win at Roland Garros, making her the youngest American to achieve over 20 Women’s Singles wins at the French Open in the Open Era. She reached the final in Paris in 2022 and continues to be one of the strongest contenders on clay.
Next, Gauff faces Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova. With her rackets now firmly in hand, her pursuit of a maiden French Open title is back on track.
