Coco Gauff secured a solid win in the first round of the 2025 French Open on Tuesday, but not before committing a major gaffe before the start of the showdown. Thankfully, it did not affect the outcome of the match, as the American coasted to a 6-2, 6-2 win in straight sets.
On the final day of the first-round clashes, Gauff confidently walked onto Court Philippe-Chartrier against Olivia Gadecki only to find out that she did not have a single racket in her equipment bag. Minutes later, a ball boy returned to her with her rackets, allowing the match to begin without delay.
The World No. 2 then proceeded to take down the Aussie opponent with a sound display of clay-court tennis, procuring passage to the next round. At the post-match interview, she was asked about the incident, drawing a loud round of laughter from the crowd.
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As for how it happened, Coco Gauff pointed fingers at her coach, saying that he had taken the rackets to put a new grip on them and that he forgot to put them back. Gauff also alluded to the incident with Frances Tiafoe earlier this year at the Indian Wells Open, where the American found himself in a similar situation.
Admitting that she made fun of her compatriot for that just recently, Gauff lamented how she will have to not do that anymore, seeing as she herself has been caught doing the same now.
"The culprit is not in the box. Because he knows the rackets are supposed to be in my bag. Honestly, as long as I have been on tour, my coach has put the rackets in the bag before the match because he is very superstitious," Gauff said.
"So he likes to grip each racket new each day. I don't care, I can play with a dirty grip. And so, I go on the court and I realize I have no rackets. And I literally just made fun of Frances Tiafoe for it in Madrid. Now I will just be quiet. But I am blaming it on my coach, so it's okay," she added.
The second-round opponent for Coco Gauff is yet to be determined, with the American set to play the winner of the battle between Chloe Paquet and Tereza Valentova.
Coco Gauff among favorites to win French Open with red-hot recent form
Coco Gauff, the gaffe ahead of her opener notwithstanding, is among the major favorites to win the 2025 French Open women's title. The World No. 2 finished runner-up at the two WTA 1000 events in the run-up to Paris -- the Madrid Open and the Italian Open (losing to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively).
Among the other favorites at the tournament are World No. 1 Sabalenka, three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, former Roland Garros champ Jelena Ostapenko, and World No. 3 Jessica Pegula.
