Coco Gauff has abandoned the mental approach that typically accompanies being a defending champion, stating she’s finished with the stress of constantly trying to “defend, defend” as she prepares to compete for another French Open championship.
With Aryna Sabalenka entering the tournament dealing with injury concerns and Iga Swiatek showing less dominance on clay courts than in previous years, Gauff stands among the top contenders to claim victory in Paris once more.
The world number four, who defeated Sabalenka in last year’s Roland Garros final to capture her second Grand Slam championship, explained she gained an important insight from her earlier experience defending a major tournament, when she was knocked out of the 2024 U.S. Open in the fourth round.
“I realise that the defending means nothing in a way. Each year is a new opportunity and new chance for anyone to win. Obviously I hope it’s me,” she told reporters at this month’s Italian Open.
“I don’t really look at it as defending anymore. I guess at the U.S. Open I was like, ‘I need to defend, defend’… I say now ‘it’s just another tournament’.
“I won it last year. I’ll try again to do it this year. I’m not going to be able to defend every year. I’m not Rafa (Nadal). Maybe one day!”
Gauff’s preparation for the French Open has faced challenges, as she dealt with illness and suffered a fourth-round defeat in Madrid before recovering to make her second consecutive Italian Open final appearance.
During that final match, Gauff recorded seven double faults and lost to Elina Svitolina.
Despite this setback, she feels confident about resolving her serving difficulties, which have put her at the top of the WTA Tour’s double fault statistics for both 2024 and 2025, leading her to work with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan last year to tackle the issue.
Although she remains atop the double fault rankings for 2026, she managed just one double fault in each of her victories against Sorana Cirstea and Iva Jovic in Rome, progress she attributes to improved consistency on her second serve.
“It’s been an up-and-down process. I obviously don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we found the recipe to making it more consistent,” Gauff said.
“Now it’s focusing on how to make it more of a weapon, how to serve smarter. I’m tossing a bit more consistent. My weight I feel is a little bit better. Also just the trust, the confidence in it is a lot better.”
Should Gauff successfully overcome the serving troubles that have hindered her performance in the past, she could be positioned to capture a third Grand Slam championship.
