Coco Gauff Vows to Solve Miami Open Puzzle: “Bucket List Tournament for Me”
Coco Gauff has yet to win a tournament since lifting the Wuhan Open last year.
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Coco Gauff (via X/Ground Press)
- Coco Gauff has never advanced past the fourth round at the Miami Open, her home tournament.
- She is dealing with an arm injury but plans to compete, having undergone an MRI for the first time.
- Andy Roddick expressed concern over Gauff's injury, noting her rarity in retiring mid-match.
Coco Gauff, who was born in Florida, has never tasted success at the Miami Open. Forget the title, the 21-year-old in fact has never progressed to the quarterfinals, reaching the fourth round thrice, including last year.
She lost to Magda Linette last year. It’s a tournament Gauff has unfinished business with. In the pre-tournament press conference, Gauff joked that she has been trying different ways to perform well in her home event.
I would love to do well here; it seems like every time I do bad here, I end up doing well on clay, but this is a obviously a bucket list tournament for me. I have stayed at home [during the Miami Open], but also played this tournament where I’ve stayed in a hotel, and neither was better, so I don’t know. Maybe this is the year.
Gauff will kick off her campaign against Darja Semeņistaja or Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round. She has yet to win a title this year, last winning a trophy at the 2025 Wuhan Open by defeating Jessica Pegula.
Coco Gauff gives an update on her arm injury
Because it’s the Miami Open, Gauff will continue to follow her schedule. Otherwise, she would have skipped the tournament because of the arm injury she suffered during the Indian Wells. Gauff felt pain in her left arm during the third round of Indian Wells against Alexandra Eala. After losing the first set and trailing 2-0 in the second, Gauff deemed it best to throw in the towel.
It was a nerve thing, like I said immediately after the match. Every day is different. But for the most part, I’ll be fine playing this tournament. I may feel it sometimes on court, but I definitely feel it less and less every day, if that makes sense.
After that injury, Gauff underwent an MRI for the first time in her life.
That was the first time I took an MRI. They’re expensive, and I felt like that’s what a coffin would feel like. It was very weird. I felt claustrophobic, so I definitely don’t want to go into one of those again.
Coco Gauff added
In Indian Wells, Gauff is a one-time semifinalist, reaching the stage in 2024. So far in her career, Gauff has won three WTA 1000 singles titles (2023 Cincinnati Open, 2024 China Open, and the 2025 Wuhan Open).
Andy Roddick says Coco Gauff’s injury is a cause for concern
Andy Roddick is worried about Gauff because she is someone who rarely retires mid-match due to injuries.
It’s never good to see Coco pull out. She’s not someone who retires from matches or gives in easily. She leans into tough moments and shows up week after week. She’s one of the most professional players I’ve seen at her age. It probably means we should be genuinely concerned about this arm situation.
Last year in WTA 1000 events, Gauff reached three finals, winning the Wuhan Open and losing the Madrid Open and the Italian Open to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively. The most important title of the 2025 season was the French Open, where she came from a set down to beat the four-time Grand Slam singles champion and win her first singles title at the clay-court Major.
Prior to Indian Wells this year, Gauff suffered an opening-round exit at the Qatar Open, losing the match to Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Later at the Dubai Tennis Championships, eventual runner-up Elina Svitolina knocked her out in the semifinals. It was Svitolina who ended her run at the Australian Open semifinals.
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