Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff is playing it safe at Wimbledon. After exiting in the first round last year, Gauff has made a promising start by reaching the third round. However, the 20-year-old American is set to face Britain’s Sonay Kartal for the first time. Revealing that she doesn’t “know much, to be honest” about Kartal’s playstyle, Gauff showcased a humble attitude as she thinks “it will be tough to face a Brit” on grass courts. Coco Gauff delves deeper into her thoughts about facing Sonay Kartal in Wimbledon’s third round. While asked about her preparations against the British rising star, Gauff admitted that she does not “know much to be honest.” She further said that she “kind of was looking at some of her results just to prepare and pick and choose what matches” to watch, realizing that Kartal had already reached the third round to face her. Despite winning a Grand Slam, Gauff didn’t overlook Kartal’s recent performances and expressed her concern facing the British WTA star. “it will be tough to face a Brit obviously especially on grass. I think that they know always do rally well but especially in this environment,”- she said.
Gauff’s statements reflected her determination to showcase her skills at Wimbledon. However, she is keeping her mind more relaxed this time. After winning more matches at the British Grand Slam than last year, Gauff revealed a different attitude, understanding that tennis is not a matter of life and death. Although, she exited Wimbledon 2023 after losing to Sofia Kenin in the first round, 4-6, 6-4, 2-6, this reigning US Open champion showcased her fondness for this major, saying, “At the end of the day it’s a game, it’s sport. I’m very very privileged and honored to be playing in front of you guys. This is the court where I first started here at Wimbledon. Court 1 is always a special place for me to play.” The 20-year-old WTA star’s comments about facing Sonay Kartal in Wimbledon’s third round reveal her attitude of never taking any opponent lightly. She also joked that her performance at this British major can’t be worse than last year.
Coco Gauff revealed being “relaxed heading into Wimbledon”
At the beginning of July, when Wimbledon was just about to start, Gauff shared her mindset. “I’ve been trying to adopt an attitude and a mentality of trying to enjoy these experiences, you only experience your first Games once. I’m very relaxed heading into Wimbledon, I didn’t have a good tournament here last year, so I feel like things can’t get worse, they can only get better or stay the same (laughs),”- she said, offering a light-hearted take on the Grand Slam. In fact, she also mentioned not playing in any warm-up events before the Paris Olympics, feeling that having two big championships in a row is tough for any player unless they have previous Olympic experience. “Looking ahead to Wimbledon”, this reigning US Open champion found it “interesting to see”
how they would feel at the Olympics compared to other tournaments. Coco Gauff’s statements about facing Sonay Kartal revealed her dedication to the British Grand Slam. Despite having more experience, Gauff appreciated Kartal’s improvements and remained grounded, impressing everyone with her maturity.