As the tennis world shifts its gaze to the lush grass courts of the Berlin Open, Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American prodigy, is poised to tackle a lingering challenge that has haunted her career. Fresh off her electrifying French Open triumph over Aryna Sabalenka on June 7, 2025, Gauff is determined to break what fans have dubbed the “Berlin Open curse” and solidify her grass-court credentials ahead of Wimbledon, which begins June 30. The WTA 500 event, held at the Steffi Graf Stadium in Berlin from June 16-22, is a crucial stepping stone, and Gauff’s performance could set the tone for her bid to claim the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Gauff’s journey to Berlin is one of resilience and redemption. Her clay-court season was a masterclass, with finals in Madrid, Rome, and Paris, culminating in her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. “I didn’t think honestly that I could do it,” she admitted after defeating Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in a windy, three-set epic. That victory, her first on clay, made her the first American woman to win in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015. With 10 WTA singles titles, including the 2023 US Open and 2024 WTA Finals, Gauff’s dominance on hard (70.18% win rate) and clay (74.56%) is undeniable. Yet, grass remains her Achilles’ heel, with a 71.05% win rate and a 27-11 record since 2018, but no WTA 500 grass title to her name.
The Berlin Open has been a bittersweet stage for Gauff. In 2022 and 2024, she reached the semifinals, only to fall to Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula, respectively. In 2023, her run ended in the round of 16. “It’s been a bit of a love-hate story with grass,” Gauff said, reflecting on her history. This year, as the No. 2 seed, she faces China’s Xinyu Wang in the round of 16 on June 18, a player she defeated 6-0, 6-4 in 2022. Wang, ranked No. 49, is no pushover, having upset two-time Wimbledon finalist Jabeur in qualifying and Daria Kasatkina in the main draw. “Wang Xinyu is not to be underestimated,” noted a tennis analyst, highlighting the Chinese player’s potential to disrupt Gauff’s momentum.
Winning Berlin would be more than a personal milestone for Gauff. The €142,610 prize and 500 ranking points would narrow the gap to world No. 1 Sabalenka, who leads with 11,553 points to Gauff’s 8,083. A title would also make her the first No. 2 seed to win Berlin in recent memory, joining an elite club with Sabalenka (2021) and Pegula (2024). “I think I can give myself the best shot [at Wimbledon] by trying to keep the moment [French Open win] as minimized as possible,” Gauff shared on the Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike podcast, emphasizing her hunger to avoid complacency after her 2023 US Open win. Her mental reset is critical, especially after Andy Roddick’s critique: “The entry point to the forehand with pace is still going to be the thing that people try to do against her consistently… The easiest surface to do that on is grass.”
The Berlin field is stacked, with Sabalenka, Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini among the top seeds, and wildcards like Naomi Osaka and Eva Lys adding intrigue. Gauff’s path could include a quarterfinal clash with Paula Badosa, who faces Lys in the first round. Yet, her focus remains inward. “I’m kind of trying to forget the Roland Garros win, honestly,” she confessed, aiming to channel the same fire that saw her upset Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2019 at age 15. That debut, where she reached the fourth round, remains her best Wimbledon result, matched in 2021 and 2024. Chris Evert, an 18-time Slam champion, believes Gauff’s potential is boundless: “She’s got the game and if she can stay healthy… she’s going to be around for a long, long time winning majors.”
As Gauff steps onto the Berlin grass, the stakes are high. A victory could silence doubters and propel her toward Wimbledon glory, while a stumble might fuel skepticism about her grass-court prowess. With her athleticism, lauded by Berlin’s Andrea Petkovic as “absolutely a sport-superstar in the USA,” and a mental edge honed by years in the spotlight, Gauff is ready to rewrite her grass-court narrative. The tennis world watches, eager to see if she can shatter the Berlin curse and storm the All England Club.
Leave a Reply