We often see tennis players using various techniques to redirect their focus during a match. These methods help them to stay present, manage distractions, and maintain a competitive edge. For example, tennis legend Rafael Nadal had several well-known on-court rituals and routines, which were often considered superstitions. But for him, it was a method for focusing and maintaining order. From the meticulous placement of his water bottles, adjusting his shorts and shirt, to touching his hair behind his ear before serving, Nadal’s on-court rituals in well-known in the tennis world. Speaking on this, he once said, “Some call it superstition, but it’s not. If it were superstition, why would I keep doing the same thing over and over, whether I win or lose? It’s a way of placing myself in a match.” Several players have several ways to do that, but does America’s Coco Gauff have a similar method to redirect her focus during a match?

Freshly coming out from her title triumph at the French Open, Coco Gauff didn’t get a similar stellar start to her grass-court swing. Just days before the Wimbledon, she went down to the world number 33, Xinyu Wang in the R16 of the Grass Court Championships in Berlin. The Chinese star took just 1 hour and 15 minutes to beat Gauff by 6-3,6-3. Despite that shocking defeat, she managed to amaze tennis fans with her stunning Miu Miu kit.

In Berlin, she donned a striking white outfit that featured green and sky-blue details. This exclusive New Balance x Miu Miu collection garnered a lot of praise and love from the fans, but Blessing Oyeleye Adesiyan, the founder of The Care Gap (formerly Mother Honestly) noticed something that she felt was very unusual about this outfit.

Coco Gauff recently shared a post on her IG account with that same outfit, captioning, “rare tennis pic where my face actually looks normal.” After seeing this post, Adesiyan commented, “This outfit is a big NO. You kept adjusting it the whole time. They need to go back to the drawing board.”

However, later on, Gauff defended her on-court wardrobe malfunction by saying, “@blessing.adesiyan I always adjust my skirts or headbands 😂 not because it doesn’t fit, it’s just something to do with my hands to not crash out on court, redirecting my focus onto something else instead of negative thoughts. Almost every outfit I’m always moving something around. y’all gotta think first 😭😂.” That’s pretty interesting, though!

Coming back to this match, the biggest worry from this short campaign in Berlin was Coco Gauff committing 25 unforced errors, including seven double faults, to only eight winners. What did the American say after this poor performance, though?

Coco Gauff reacts to her worrisome start at the grass-court swing

With this win against the world number 2, Xinyu Wang has now taken her H2H record to 1-1. Interestingly, almost two years ago, Coco Gauff had defeated her in the same round of this tournament in straight sets. Following this disappointing start to her grass court campaign, Gauf shared a post on her social media account, saying, “It was a tough one today, but I’m happy to be back on court. I tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround, but it wasn’t enough. As always, I’m learning as I go, so I hope to do better next time. Thank you, Berlin, for the short but sweet visit. I’ll come back stronger next year.“

Although it may not be an ideal start for Gauff, her compatriot, CoCo Vandeweghe, thinks this defeat could well become a blessing in disguise for the 21-year-old. How? In a recent interview with Tennis Channel, Vandeweghe said, “I just don’t even think this shakes her confidence at all. This is not going to be her best surface, but you know what she is going to do. She is going to take this loss and really work on herself. That is what we have seen time and time again from Coco Gauff. She is the ultimate competitor.“

In 2019, Gauff rose to fame by defeating one of her tennis idols, Venus Williams, at Wimbledon, but despite that incredible start, she failed to go past the fourth round at this iconic grass-court major. This recent defeat has brought some question marks about her chances at Wimbledon this year, but Serena and Venus Williams’ childhood coach has figured out a way to find success for her.

In a tweet, Rick Macci wrote, “The key for Coco on grass will be controlling the center of the court and making the baseline her closest friend going forward on the forehand from start to end. @CocoGauff.” Do you think Gauff can secure her third major at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, or do we have to wait for a bit longer?