Coco Gauff’s US Open Loss Explained as Tim Henman Warns About Next Move

Under the bright lights of New York, Coco Gauff’s US Open journey was cut short by Naomi Osaka. The Japanese star powered through 6-3, 6-2, leaving the world No. 3 wrestling with frustration. But the American was determined not to let the defeat “crush” her. Even though Gauff’s determination showcased her grit, she finished the battle with 33 unforced errors and five double faults. Hence, as the game ended, British former tennis player Tim Henman shared his opinion on Gauff’s defeat and some advice for her to work on in the future to minimize the errors. 

Talking to Sky Sports, Henman confirmed that Gauff is a pretty good competitor. And we all saw how the crowd reacted as she was getting ready to leave the court. He said, “It has almost been traumatic. You saw the emotion on the court in tears at times and she recognised her opponent played a great match.” But then came the reason why Osaka was able to beat Gauff. 

Henman continued, “It has been so hard with the serve and those frailties on the forehand side. To be in the centre of the storm that the intense spotlight of playing in your home Grand Slam with those struggles going on, it must be so exhausting and today she came up against a world-class player, who is a Grand Slam champion, Osaka was able to take advantage of that.”

The Brit asserted that Coco Gauff needs some time away from active competition. She needs to “decompress” and “contemplate her next move.” According to him, the American needs to work on her form, as she was unable to score a single breakpoint, while the Japanese star secured 4/4. 

Needless to say, Gauff wasn’t oblivious to her shortcomings. Following the disappointing and emotional loss, she said, “I just made way too many mistakes, way too many errors, which I feel like that’s the part of my game that I felt the most confident in coming into the tournament.” Now, she really needs to work with her new coach, Gavin MacMillan (She fired Matt Daly days before the US Open), and fix her broken serve.

However, after she showcased her frustration by getting emotional and smashing her racket, the 21-year-old chose not to focus on the negative side of things. So, what did she have to say? 

Coco Gauff shows her resilience despite losing to Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open

In the post-match press conference, the Atlanta-born star stated, “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.” Facing a defeat after winning the China Open, WTA Finals, and the 2025 French Open was nothing short of a horrific blow. But Coco isn’t someone who gives up that easily. 

With a promise of getting better, the #3 WTA contender said, “It definitely is a lot of positive things if I think I kept the way I was going in Cincinnati to here, I would have been out the first round. And so I think that where my serve started from the start of the tournament to today was a big improvement. And I feel like, now I just have to get everything to work together.”

Of course, working with Gavin MacMillan, Gauff’s new coach and a biomechanics expert who has treated Aryna Sabalenka’s broken serve, is something that can help the American rise way above her current stance. If she can minimize her errors, rest assured that she’s going to be an unstoppable force on the court. 

Until then, follow EssentiallySports Live Blog for more updates from Flushing Meadows!