Wimbledon 2025's first round has been among the most shocking ever at a Grand Slam event. Coco Gauff, the second seed and WTA No. 2, marked the eighth top-10 player to be knocked out of the tournament. This means nearly half of the top-10 players are out already. The draw has become a mess, but that might make Wimbledon more exciting.
On her part, Gauff did not come close to beating Dayana Yastremska, a former Australian Open semifinalist, but only ranked No. 42. The American looked like the far weaker and less prepared player compared to the Ukrainian, as Yastremska took the match 7-6(3) 6-1.
The score was no closer than it appears at first glance. Gauff struggled with her serve, double-faulting nine times. This has been an issue for the American for a couple of years now, and it needs to be fixed. She can sometimes overcome this with her athleticism.
Coco Gauff suffers shocking first-round exit at Wimbledon 2025
On Tuesday at Wimbledon, it helped cost her the match. Not that Gauff is a perfect player on grass, as she struggles a bit to get in and out of the corners, but that wasn't an excuse for her loss. She was simply outplayed by Yastremska.
Yastremska took more chances, hit bigger forehands, placed the ball with accuracy, and if one did not know which player was ranked No. 2 while they were watching the match, they certainly would not have thought that was Gauff.
One has to wonder how quickly Gauff can bounce back. She struggled greatly from July to September in 2024, so maybe that trend will continue into 2025. A first-round loss at Wimbledon is an ugly look, especially for a player trying to get to No. 1.
The truth is that grass courts take a certain skill set that Coco Gauff does not currently have. Had she made the match closer, at least she could have felt better about her play. Instead, she came out flat and got dominated. She deserved to lose, while Yastremska showed she might be a real threat at the grass-court major.