“Not sure if it’s just her mental approach,” Top journalist slams Coco Gauff following her early exit at the Cincinnati Open
Top journalist critiqued Coco Gauff for her performance in the loss to Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.
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Coco Gauff and Jon Wertheim (inset) (via Imago)
Top journalist Jon Wertheim has slammed Coco Gauff for her poor run of form following her exit from the Cincinnati Open. The American was stunned by World No.34 Yulia Putintseva in her opening match.
Gauff has failed to impress since Wimbledon, where she reached the round of 16. She couldn’t win any medal for the USA at the Paris Olympics exiting in the third round. She won only a single match at the Canadian Open before exiting the tournament. However, she arrived at the Cincinnati Open with the expectation of turning things around while also being the defending champion.
She failed to live up to the expectations as she committed nine double faults and was broken five times during her match against Putintseva. On the other hand, Putintseva looked aggressive as she converted her five break opportunities, going on to claim the win 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Gauff has yet to win a title since claiming the Auckland Open in January.
It was on this note that Top Journalist Jon Wertheim raised concerns about Gauff’s mentality ahead of the US Open. He revealed that the American is nowhere to her standards as the US Open draws closer.
Not sure if it’s her game or just sort of mental approach. We didn’t see her best at Wimbledon, we didn’t see her best at the Olympics, which I know is a disappointment, we didn’t see it in Canada, we didn’t see it today. I think you say to her, ‘Listen, you’re not defending a US Open title, those points are gone, you’re trying to create, you’re trying to start something, you’re trying to start building.’Jon Wertheim said via (Tennis Channel).
Gauff has struggled with her game this year following her breakthrough season in 2023. She’s yet to reach a singles final since January. She will drop from World No.2 to No.3 in the WTA rankings following her poor Cincinnati performance, as Aryna Sabalenka will take her place.
Coco Gauff admits she played poorly against Yulia Putintseva after her second consecutive loss since Paris Olympics
Coco Gauff revealed that it was not her best performance after losing in three sets to Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. The 20-year-old has been far from her best this season. A sharp contrast from last year, winning the Citi Open and Cincinnati Open before triumphing at the US Open.
After losing to Putintseva she declined a post-match conference but admitted to WTA that she made a lot of errors in the match.
It was not the best match for me. I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2 (in the third). I think most of the points she won were off my errors.She's always a tricky opponent to play. She mixes up the ball. She has drop shots, slice.Coco Gauff said
Gauff has now won only one match, losing two since the Paris Olympics. The American will hope to turn things around at the US Open.
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Victor Okechukwu
(691 Articles Published)