Uncertainty loomed over Coco Gauff’s 2026 Miami Open participation after she was forced to retire from her match in Indian Wells due to an arm injury. After silencing injury concerns by practicing earlier in the week in Miami, Gauff managed a comeback win in her first match on Friday. She later indicated that she went against her team’s wishes to compete in front of her home crowd.
Coco Gauff’s Team Wanted Her to Abandon the Miami Open
Fourth-seeded Gauff, who received a bye in the opening round, inaugurated her campaign against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round on March 20. The American was seeking revenge against her Italian opponent, having fallen against her in a thorough beatdown at this year’s Qatar Open.
Gauff was off to a slow start, losing the first set 6-3. She, however, made a recovery in the following set and eventually won the contest 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. In her post-match press conference, she responded affirmatively when asked whether she related to Iga Świątek’s admission about the pressure of expectations. “I do think about them (expectations) a lot.”
The 22-year-old, however, had nothing to lose this time around. She revealed that her team wanted her to sit out the tournament, a request she overrode. She was then determined to make them retract their words.
“Honestly today I had no expectations going in. Most of my team didn’t even want me to play this tournament, but I kind of vetoed that. I just went into it like every match as a positive,” she said. “I kind of wanted to prove them wrong. That was what I was thinking about, honestly.”
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Coco Gauff Feared Her Team’s Reaction During Final Set Slip-Up
Gauff experienced a moment of panic after she went down a break at the beginning of the third set. She, however, broke her opponent right back and eventually leveled the score. “I didn’t want them to be like, ‘Well, told you.’ So I still feel like I have to win a few more matches to prove them wrong, but I’m happy with how today went.”
This was not the first instance of Gauff acting independently of her team’s guidance. After the French Open, she faced challenges and made the late decision to hire biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, which did not lead to immediate improvement at the US Open. Ultimately, Gauff overcame doubts by reaching the semifinals in Beijing and winning Wuhan soon after.
“My team didn’t want me to go to China and then I semi-ed and won there. So I don’t know, I guess it’s a thing. My parents will definitely tell you I’m stubborn. I’ll die on my hill.”
What makes her Miami Open appearance crucial is the home crowd. The American, who was born in Boca Raton, resides in Delray Beach. She’s been enjoying the comfort of home and has her extended family supporting her at this year’s event. A withdrawal would’ve thus been a tough pill to swallow.
“I obviously take the considerations of my team and I do did consider it,” Gauff clarified in her press conference.
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“I just want to make sure I make decisions that I know I won’t regret in the future. And I think I would regret not playing more so than playing because at least if I played and did bad, it was like, well, I guess I have time to train for clay season,” she said, adding, “I’d rather torture myself for one day than for three weeks (of not competing).”
After her win against Cocciaretto, Gauff faces a familiar opponent in compatriot Alycia Parks. Parks advanced to the third round after straight-set wins against Sinja Kraus and Maria Sakkari.
