A “disappointed” Coco Gauff expanded on her mindset Tuesday while speaking to the press after the No. 2 seed’s stunning first-round ouster at Wimbledon to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
Gauff, just weeks removed from her first-ever French Open win, expressed she was emotionally “overwhelmed” entering the third Grand Slam of the year, while acknowledging lessons learned amid her brief run at the All England Club.
“I feel like mentally I was little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards, so I didn’t feel like I had enough time to do, I guess celebrate and then also get back into it,” said Gauff, who lost Tuesday in straight sets, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.
Coco Gauff fell in the first round at Wimbledon in July 2025. AFP via Getty Images
The shocking defeat came weeks after her French Open triumph at Roland-Garros. AFP via Getty Images
“But it’s the first time, in this experience, like coming off a win and having to play at Wimbledon, and I definitely learned about what I would and would not do again.”
Gauff, 21, noted it would be a “tough match” against Yastremska, recognizing a struggle on grass courts compared to clay.
Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska topped Coco Gauff in the first round at Wimbledon in July 2025. AFP via Getty Images
The competitors greeted one another after the match. AP
“I have faith that if I can make these adjustments, I can do well here, I really do want to do well here, I’m not someone who wants to write myself off grass this early in my career, but I definitely need to make some changes if I want to be successful,” she said.
Gauff, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, has advanced as far as the fourth round at Wimbledon, including last year’s defeat to compatriot Emma Navarro.
Coco Gauff said she was “overwhelmed” mentally entering the match after her French Open triumph. AFP via Getty Images
The French Open marked Coco Gauff’s second Grand Slam victory. AFP via Getty Images
Tuesday’s defeat follows her June 7 triumph at Roland-Garros, where she knocked off world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4.
Gauff was one of several big names to get knocked out of Wimbledon in this week’s first round.
No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula fell to Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Tuesday, 6-2, 6-3, while last year’s semifinalist, Daniil Medvedev, lost to Benjamin Bonzi, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
Wimbledon runs through July 13.
