One word traveled quickly for Coco Gauff, which she clearly did not expect. She described the WTA Finals qualification scenarios as “kinda stupid” earlier this week, and the clip turned into headlines. Now she’s returned to the camera to clarify what she really meant. 

Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Gauff pushed back on the idea that she had attacked the round-robin format itself.

“I wasn’t saying, like, the format was stupid,” Gauff said. “I was saying, if you get, like, in your head while you’re playing into all the scenarios, that’s stupid.” Her point, she explained, was about mindset rather than the rules. She had been asked by a reporter if she would be studying all the combinations prior to her final group match, and her answer was that it would be a waste of time. 

“If I, like, play while thinking about the scenarios, that’s stupid because it’s tennis.”

Sometimes in a round-robin group, a margin of victory is required for a player to advance, but Gauff said there’s nothing that can be achieved by seeking it. 

“You can’t, oh, I want to win this match in straight sets. Every match, you want to win in straight sets. Did I leak info that’s kind of already out there? Sue me, I don’t know,” she added.

The goal remains the same. Running the maths during the match will only add to the brain clutter.

The original remarks were made after her 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Linda Noskova on Tuesday, which propelled the Czech debutant into the semifinals and left Gauff needing some assistance. 

“The scenarios, I know they make sense, but they’re kinda stupid,” she said at the time, before adding a line that drew even more attention. “I can’t say much, but everybody knows that has to change.” 

The 22-year-old American has given her the best chance to qualify for the last four, but her fate now belongs to another compatriot’s match.

Gauff’s fate rests on a result she cannot control

On Thursday, Coco Gauff fought through a lower back problem to beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5, saving the match from 5-1 down in the second set to finish 2-1 in Group 1. It was the second time in the week she had overturned a 5-1 deficit, having done the same against Jessica Pegula in her opener.

“Physically, I wasn’t at my best, which I’m not really used to,” she told Sky Sports. “It was like a mental challenge, learning how to play through that.” She struggled on her serve, hitting nine double faults, but outlasted an opponent carrying a wrist injury of her own.

The victory kept her spirits fresh but didn’t promise much, which is exactly what she complained about. Because Noskova had already sealed her spot, the second semifinal place came down to the final match between Noskova and Pegula. 

If Pegula wins, she would go through, and Gauff would be out despite finishing 2-1. If Noskova wins, Gauff would advance. Having won her own match, Gauff was left to watch, with her tournament in the hands of two other players. 

There was a similar kind of situation that happened two years ago in Riyadh. In 2024, Iga Swiatek did not make it to the last four despite winning two of her three round-robin matches due to set percentage, and this was the exact kind of scenario the 2024 champion was thinking of.

The round-robin phase is designed to ensure every participant in the qualification round gets a minimum of three games, although there is a cost – the outcome of the other games could make or break a player’s chances.