Coco Gauff’s US Open Loss Blamed on One Costly Flaw by American ATP Stars

“Feels kind of special,” said an excited Naomi Osaka, highlighting her eagerness to take on Coco Gauff once again at the US Open. The last time these two tennis behemoths collided at Flushing Meadows in 2019, it was the Japanese star who had the last laugh. Naturally, this time, fans had hoped for the result to tip in favor of Gauff. Well, that didn’t happen. But as it turns out, experts in the sport were already prepared for something like this.

The 4x Grand Slam winner Osaka thrashed Coco in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) to advance to the US Open quarterfinal, while the latter’s dream of winning her second title at the New York tournament remained unaccomplished. While this will definitely hurt the ardent home fans, Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock noted that they knew such a thing was going to happen. In a YouTube upload by Nothing Major Show from September 1, the three former pro stars talked about why Gauff was doomed from the beginning against the more experienced Osaka.

“Osaka looks like she’s back in winning form, and Coco—the fact that she got to the fourth round—honestly, it’s been a bit of a struggle. She’s got to find that serve,” Sock bluntly highlighted Gauff’s single-biggest reason for downfall against her Japanese colleague. “I’m not surprised by it,” Querrey said. He went on to note how the fans got in over their heads, and elaborated why that was a flimsy conclusion to make to think that Gauff would win against Naomi. “Coco struggled for the first two rounds, then crushed it in the third round…And I think people maybe overreacted to that and were like, “All right, Coco’s back.” But Osaka made the final in Canada, and now she’s rolling through here,” the retired American ATP star said.

“I’m honestly not surprised with the score. It’s tough if we’re on ESPN and stuff to say, “Oh, I think Osaka is going to roll through Coco,” but part of me thought that—just because Osaka is playing well right now,” added Johnson, who posits that he knew in his heart that Gauff had zero chances against the 27-year-old.

Johnson went on to state how Gauff’s struggle with her serve caused her other play aspects to suffer. “When you don’t serve well like Coco, it starts to bleed into every aspect of your game. You put so much pressure on your forehand, your backhand, your movement, and today it just kind of broke down,” the British national explained. However, as Johnson further noted, not all hope is lost. “But she’s going to figure it out. She won a slam this year, she’s still three in the world—lots of time left for her.”

But while the former pro stars didn’t seem overly pleased by Gauff’s performance against Osaka, the 2025 National Bank Open finalist had nothing but praising words for her Round of 16 opponent. “I look up to her a lot. I think the way that she conducts herself—I hope that’s the right word, conduct—yeah, I think it’s really special. I feel like to be such an amazing role model at such a young age is a gift, and it’s a talent that she has. I have all the respect in the world for her,” Osaka revealed how she really feels about Coco Gauff after ousting the latter from the US Open.

But the consoling statements by the Japanese star barely helped, for Gauff was thrown into a pit of despair after her defeat, as she knew it was her knack for committing errors that cost her the match.

Coco Gauff finds a silver lining amidst heartbreak

During the opening game of the second set, Gauff’s unforced error helped Osaka gain three game points. The 21-year-old was livid with herself and was seen smashing her racquet on the court, highlighting her frustrated feelings. Irrespective of the fact that Coco admitted it was an emotional first week at the tournament for her, her actions surprised fans, who aren’t used to seeing emotions getting the best of the former world No. 1. Later, she revealed that the frustration chased her all the way to the locker room.

“I think that, trying to be more positive. I mean, after the match, I was really disappointed, kind of broke down to my team, and then hearing their perspectives and everything,” Gauff admitted in her post-match presser. But being the spirited fighter she is, the 2025 Australian Open winner also noted that she will use the defeat as a learning experience and strive to improve herself. “I’m trying to be positive in front of you guys. I promise you that.. I don’t feel that way right now, but I am not going to let this crush me,” she said.

On the other hand, former British star Tim Henman suggested Gauff should “contemplate her next move” and that she needs to decompress first. What about you? Got any advice to help Gauff bounce back from her setback? Tell us!