Tennis is a sport of rhythm, adrenaline, and energy-but what happens when the stadium is silent? The bright lights of the China Open normally illuminate a cacophony of cheers, chants, and applause, a stadium alive with the collective energy of tennis fans from around the world. But for Coco Gauff, Friday brought a starkly different reality – a court eerily quiet, seats empty, and echoes of her own footsteps the only accompaniment to her power strokes.

The defending champion, Coco Gauff, is currently facing this unusual challenge at the China Open, navigating a court devoid of fans. Players at the China Open have always felt the love from enthusiastic tennis lovers, who regularly shower them with unique gifts, such as personalized plush toys, elaborate banners, and dedicated fan art, even for Western players, much to their delight. Speaking on this last year, Gauff said, “Honestly, it’s the place I’ve come [where] I’ve gotten the most gifts.” But where has this love for the defending champ gone?

As Gauff stepped onto the hard court in Beijing to play her R64 match against Kamilla Rakhimova, the usual sea of fans was absent this time, leaving behind a cavernous silence that echoed with every bounce of the ball. For many, this might seem like a dream—a chance to play without pressure—but for Gauff, it is now a test of a different kind.

The Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center, built for the 2008 Olympic Games, is the venue for the China Open, and in 2011, the center expanded to 11 courts. It boasts a 15,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof, named the Diamond Court, but this time, there were only a handful of fans inside the stadium. This is pretty unusual!

With her two Grand Slam title triumphs, the 21-year-old American tennis star has already established her name as one of the biggest superstars in women’s tennis. Currently ranked third in the world, Coco Gauff has a tendency to attract a huge crowd no matter where she plays. But this time it was an exception!

For a player accustomed to feeding off the crowd’s energy, Gauff’s early-round match presented an unusual challenge. Can she navigate through these challenges and get off to a winning start to her title defense campaign in Beijing? Time will tell! But as of this writing, Gauff had already blazed through the match – a 6-4 in the first set and a bagel in the second set – to the next round. Meanwhile, her next round opponent is Leylah Fernandez, who meted out a similar fate to her competitor, Maria Sakkari, with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-0 on a much more quaint court in Beijing.

Before the start of this tournament, Coco Gauff made a very interesting comment about her title defense campaign at the China Open. It raised quite a few eyebrows in the tennis world. But what did she say, though?

Coco Gauff makes an honest admission about her 2025 China Open campaign

Although Coco Gauff won the French Open title this year, she has struggled to find her rhythm after that. Gauff was knocked out of the US Open in the R16 by Naomi Osaka. She had a wonderful Asian swing last year, so her fans are now expecting her to regain her momentum at the China Open, but…

Before the start of this tournament, she made a very surprising comment. The American said, “Yeah, I mean, for me, I don’t know why, it just feels different at the end of the year. Although technically I’m the defending champion, it doesn’t feel like that at all. I don’t want to say ‘not care’ because obviously I’m not playing a tournament and trying to lose or anything. But yeah, there is definitely a weight that you kind of just don’t care in a way, especially when you’ve had like a good moment of the season.”

She even claimed that she feels this tournament is more like a “practice tournament” now. If Coco Gauff wins this tournament, she will match Serena Williams’ record of winning the China Open twice in her career, but her comments are definitely not a good look for the China Open or the WTA Tour. But having said that, she didn’t forget to mention her love for the city and its people.

In her pre-tournament interview, she also spoke about her fascination with the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. “I think the culture is really cool and very different from anything. Being from a country like the U.S., which is considered way younger than China. I think visiting a country with so much history behind it is really cool, just learning about the different dynasties, how everything is kind of intertwined, which we don’t really have that in the U.S. because it is so much a melting pot, whereas here it’s not so,” she said.

Now, coming to her 2025 China Open, who could be her next probable opponents, though? Coco Gauff has won this match against Rakhimova, she will be facing the 2021 US Open finalist, Leylah Fernandez, in the next round. If she manages to dismiss Fernandez, then in the QF, Elena Rybakina will be her probable opponent, and in the semis, she may have to cross paths with her compatriot Amanda Anisimova before taking on Iga Swiatek in the final. Do you think Coco Gauff can overcome all these hurdles and defend her China Open title this year?