Just days after the clay-court swing concluded in Paris, it’s time for the grass, and the race to Wimbledon is officially on. Moving on from her early exit at the French Open, where her title defense ended in the third round against Anastasia Potapova, Coco Gauff is officially back for the grass-court season. The American will also be looking to return to the top five of the rankings after dropping to No. 7.
Coco Gauff Returns to Court for First Grass Practice in Berlin
Gauff has now arrived in the German capital, hitting the practice courts to find her footing on the fresh turf before the Berlin Open. The tournament’s official social media team was quick to welcome the two-time Grand Slam champion.
“First practice on Berlin gras. Welcome to the capital, Coco! 💜,” they wrote as a caption on the video of the 22-year-old practicing.
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The Berlin Tennis Open, a premier WTA 500 event, is a stepping stone and testing ground for the Wimbledon Championships later this month. Gauff is joined by a few of the Top 10 WTA players, including Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, while Iga ÅšwiÄ…tek and French Open winner Mirra Andreeva will be skipping the event.
Meanwhile, in doubles, Gauff’s idol, Serena Williams, will be playing as a Wild Card, teaming up with Karolina Muchova. The 23-time Grand Slam champion recently returned to the court after four years of retirement, playing at Queen’s Club, but her partner, Victoria Mboko, withdrew due to a knee injury.
Gauff’s 2026 season has featured a few deep runs but has been trophy-less so far. She kicked off the year by helping the US team reach the United Cup semifinals, defeating ÅšwiÄ…tek before advancing to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where she was eliminated by Elina Svitolina.
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Gauff had a semifinal run in Dubai and reached the final at the Italian Open in Rome, where she lost again to Svitolina. The best result this year is the Miami Open final, being runner-up to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
After getting knocked out of Roland Garros by Potapova, Gauff revealed candidly: “I feel like I’m practicing well, and when the moments get there, I’m not quite translating that.” She added, “It’s just a learning experience, and hopefully, when I’m in this position again, I can make better decisions.”
Now, with a 26–10 win-loss record, she can boot up for the grass courts.
Last year, fresh off her spectacular 2025 French Open victory, Gauff had struggled to adapt to the turf. And she had an early second-round exit in Berlin and a shocking first-round defeat at Wimbledon to Dayana Yastremska.
