Coco Gauff recently wrapped up her 2025 tennis season after competing in the WTA Finals. It was a year of mixed results for the American player, as she won four titles, including a Grand Slam. The American was also involved in a controversy with Aryna Sabalenka, among many other things.
A Look Into Coco Gauff’s 2025 Tennis Season
Gauff Leads USA to Victory at United Cup with Taylor Fritz
Gauff started her season by representing the United States at the 2025 United Cup. Alongside Taylor Fritz, she helped Team USA secure its second title at the tournament by defeating Team Poland in the final. Throughout the event, Gauff overcame several top players, including Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekić, Karolína Muchová, and Iga Świątek, on her way to the United Cup title.
Second Grand Slam Title at French Open
The former world No. 2 claimed her first singles title of the year at the French Open. She reached the final by defeating Olivia Gadecki, qualifier Tereza Valentová, Marie Bouzkova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, compatriot Madison Keys, and wild card Loïs Boisson. In the championship match, Gauff triumphed over Sabalenka with a scoreline of 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4, securing her second singles Grand Slam title and third Major title overall.
Controversy With Aryna Sabalenka
Following her victory at Roland Garros, Gauff found herself embroiled in controversy with Sabalenka. The world No. 1 suggested that Gauff’s title win was not solely due to her “incredible” performance, but rather a result of her own unforced errors.
“I was just making unforced errors. I don’t know. I have to check the statistics. I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls,” Sabalenka said.
In response, Gauff expressed her disagreement with Sabalenka’s comments, stating that it was not “fair” to undermine her victory. After facing backlash from fans regarding her remarks, Sabalenka later clarified her comments.
“I don’t agree with that. I played her and I won in straight sets. So yeah, I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say because anything can really happen,” Gauff said.
Form Struggles
After her win at the French Open, Gauff struggled during the grass court swing. She was eliminated in the second round of the 2025 Berlin Tennis Open and lost in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships to Dayana Yastremska.
Throughout the year, Gauff faced challenges with her serve, accumulating over 400 double faults, the highest of her career, and her forehand also drew criticism. She also recorded a significant number of unforced errors during the season.
Major Coaching Shake-up
To address her serving issues, Gauff hired serving coach Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist, before the 2025 US Open. MacMillan has previously worked with Sabalenka.
“It was, like, a very sudden decision. Gavin became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game, and I had to go with what I was feeling,” Gauff said.
Gauff entered the 2025 US Open after winning a doubles title at the Canadian Open and reaching the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open. She partnered with compatriot McCartney Kessler in Montreal and defeated Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai with a score of 6-4, 1-6, [13-11] in the final, securing the title.
Tense Moment at US Open
At the New York Major, the former world No. 2 began her campaign by defeating Ajla Tomljanović in the first round. However, during her second-round match against Vekić, in the first set, after double-faulting and losing her serve at 4-4, Gauff was seen covering her face with a towel and sobbing during the changeover while sitting courtside. Later, she revealed to the press that she had suffered a panic attack.
“It was a panic attack. It was the first time that happened to me on the court. So, I was just trying to calm myself down and breathe in the moment. That was kind of why I went to the bathroom after that first set to reset. It was one of those moments that I wanted to get off the court right now and be over with it,” Gauff said.
Despite this, Gauff won her match against Vekić with a scoreline of 7-6(5), 6-2. In the third round, she defeated Magdalena Fręch before losing to former US Open champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
Redemption During Asian Swing
During the Asian hard court swing, Gauff was the defending champion at the 2025 China Open but lost in the semifinals to eventual winner Amanda Anisimova. However, she bounced back at the Wuhan Open, where she won her third title of the season.
On her way to the final, the two-time Grand Slam singles champion overcame Moyuka Uchijima, Zhang Shuai, Laura Siegemund, and Jasmine Paolini. In the championship match, she defeated Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5, securing her third WTA 1000 title and her 11th career WTA Tour singles title.
Gauff’s final tournament of the 2025 season was the WTA Finals, where she was the defending champion after winning the title in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen in the championship match. This year, she began her campaign in Riyadh with a defeat, losing to Pegula in her opening match.
Although she then secured a win against Paolini, she later lost to Sabalenka, which prevented her from advancing past the round-robin stage.
