WHY COCO GAUFF’S "DIRTY SOCKS" DILEMMA DEFINES HER LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH CLAY
Coco Gauff is ready for the Madrid Open. Discover her unique relationship with clay and her quest for a first 2026 singles title.
Coco Gauff recently shared her thoughts on playing on clay courts, mixing in a bit of humour to describe how she feels about that surface. She admitted that her relationship with the clay season is a bit tangled; she’s not exactly fond of competing on clay, yet it’s where she tends to achieve her strongest results.
Her journey on clay started early, with a breakthrough at the 2018 French Open juniors. At just 14, she won her first singles junior title by beating Caty McNally in a tight three-set match, eventually becoming the junior world No. 1 that year. Since then, she’s built an encouraging record on the surface at the pro level, making it to the second round of Roland Garros in 2020 and advancing as far as the quarterfinals the following year.
Her performance at the 2022 French Open marked a milestone; it was her first Grand Slam final appearance. Though she lost to Iga Swiatek, she continued to push deep into the tournament in subsequent years, reaching quarterfinals and semifinals before finally capturing her first Grand Slam singles title on clay in 2025. That victory saw her come back from a set down to beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. In an interview with Tennis Channel, Gauff reflected on her odd connection with clay:
“You know when there’s someone who treats you well, does everything right, but it still just doesn’t click? That’s how I feel about clay. I have great results on it; I do well, but my socks get dirty, and I have to take off my shoes before I even walk into my room. There are a lot of things about it that I just don’t like, yet my biggest milestones happened there: my junior title, first Grand Slam final, and first doubles Slam. So maybe, just maybe, nice guys finish last.”
It’s worth noting she also claimed the doubles title at Roland Garros in 2024, adding to her clay court achievements.
Looking ahead, Gauff is chasing her first singles crown of 2026 after a series of underwhelming tournament runs. Her season kicked off at the Australian Open, where she fell in the quarterfinals to Elina Svitolina. Things didn’t get easier; she was upset early by Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round, losing 6-4, 6-2. Svitolina reappeared as a tough opponent in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, where Gauff put up another strong fight.
Her Indian Wells Masters campaign was cut short due to an injury she sustained during her second-round match against Alexandra Eala. Nevertheless, she bounced back at the Miami Open, making it all the way to the final after beating players like Alycia Parks, Belinda Bencic, Karolina Muchova, and Sorana Cirstea.
Her clay season began at the Stuttgart Open, but her hopes for silverware there faded with a quarterfinal loss to Muchova. Now, all eyes turn to the Madrid Open starting on April 23, 2026, where Gauff aims to finally secure that elusive first singles title of the year.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
