“Not expecting to win,” Coco Gauff labels lack of preparation at the Canadian Masters after Paris Olympics

American tennis star Coco Gauff expects a tough transition from clay to hard courts at the Canadian Masters.

“Not expecting to win,” Coco Gauff labels lack of preparation at the Canadian Masters after Paris Olympics

Coco Gauff (Via IMAGO)

Top seed Coco Gauff has landed in Canada to kickstart her preparations for the National Bank Open starting on Tuesday (August 6). However, the American has confirmed that she will be playing this tournament without any expectations.

With Gauff’s mind probably still in France considering the disappointment at the Paris Olympics, the 20-year-old believes she will have difficulty transitioning to the hard courts. The Paris Olympics were played on the red clay of Roland Garros.

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I have no expectations for this week. I’m not going into this expecting to win. It will obviously be great. That's the goal. But, to be realistic, I was on clay three days ago. So, yeah, I think overall I'm just using this just to see where I'm at what I need to do to get ready for US Open.
Coco Gauff said in the pre-match press conference

This is the first time in the modern era that tennis players have had to transition between three different surfaces simultaneously in such a short span. ATP and WTA players played the clay court season until Roland Garros, then the grass court season at Wimbledon, before shifting back to the clay courts for the Paris Olympics. Now, they will play on outdoor and indoor hard courts for the rest of the season.

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This has not been the case previously. In 2012, the London Olympics took place at Wimbledon. However, it was three weeks after the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, which made it easier for players to adapt.

The same is true for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. After the grass court season was over, the Tokyo Olympics presented an opportunity to kickstart the hard court season early. It helped Alexander Zverev, who won the gold medal in Tokyo before winning his second ATP World Tour Finals later in the year.

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Coco Gauff hopes to put the Paris Olympics disappointment behind her

Tennis star Coco Gauff had her first chance to represent the USA at the Olympics this year in Paris. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for her in the games.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (Image via Imago)
I had a great experience. I mean it was from not being able to go to Tokyo to be able to go here, I just feel like you know LA (2028), I'll hopefully be on the podium. I just don't know, I just feel like that's what life consists of like having a disappointing result and then the next time is like the best thing in the world (laughs).
Coco Gauff added

At 20 years old, Gauff missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, making Paris her Olympic debut. She had the honor of being the youngest flag bearer for Team USA during the opening ceremony. Despite being ranked number two in women’s tennis, Gauff’s performance fell short of expectations. She reached the third round in singles, the second round in doubles, and the quarterfinals in mixed doubles with Taylor Fritz.

Reflecting on her experience, Gauff said she enjoyed her time in Paris and hopes to perform better at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. She remains optimistic, believing that setbacks can lead to great successes in the future.

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