Wimbledon defeat: I definitely need to make changes — Gauff

An emotional Coco Gauff, on Tuesday, stated she had not coped well with the switch from Paris clay to Wimbledon grass, saying, “I definitely need to make changes if I want to be successful here.”

Gauff said this after she was dumped out of the championships in the first round.

The French Open champion looked uncomfortable under the roof on Court One and failed to find any serving rhythm.

This was as she succumbed 7-6(3) 6-1 to Ukrainian world number 42 Dayana Yastremska.

Gauff, 21, was eager to give her big-hitting opponent credit for the win but said she would probably change her tactics in future during the three weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

She said, “I just feel like the surface I maybe could have used more matches. It’s like finding the puzzle.

“It’s a quick turnaround, so I think just trying to learn on whether it’s better to train more and maybe play Bad Homburg or Eastbourne.”

Gauff was knocked out in the first round at Berlin and had little other grasscourt practice before Wimbledon.

Her win in Paris was the second Grand Slam victory of her career following last year’s U.S. Open triumph.

“I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards.

“So, I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it,” she said.

Gauff wiped away tears as she discussed her disappointment at failing to adjust to the surface, which she said was harder to adapt to than clay to hard court.

“I have faith that if I can make these adjustments, I can do well here. I really do want to do well here.

“I’m not someone who wants to write myself off grass this early in my career, but I definitely need to make changes if I want to be successful here.

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“I’m trying to be positive. After the match, I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don’t like losing,” she said.

Gauff slipped over several times early in the match, while Yastremska looked sure-footed as she pummelled the American with winners from the baseline.

The Ukrainian had reached the final of the Nottingham tournament as well as the quarter-finals at Eastbourne in the run-up to Wimbledon.

She added, “Dayana played great. I felt like I wasn’t playing terribly in some points, and she was hitting winners.”

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