Coco Gauff ‘Just Panicked’ During Closing Moments of Wimbledon Semifinals Loss
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Coco Gauff is getting honest about her game.
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The two-time Grand Slam champion, 22, opened up during her post-match press conference about her 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10) loss to Karolina Muchova, 29, in the Wimbledon semifinals on Thursday, July 9, which ended her trophy hopes.
Gauff had a chance to win the match and get into her first-ever Wimbledon final during the third-set tiebreak. After Gauff served down the middle, Muchova’s forehand return was weak and landed short, making it a good chance for Gauff to attack. But, the ball had topspin, and it bounced higher than she expected.
Coco Gauff against Karolina Muchova on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 9, 2026.Credit: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty
“The bounce kind of caught me off guard,” Gauff said of her tightly contested three-set thriller at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club during the presser. “I just panicked a little bit,” she admitted.
Gauff immediately knew she had missed an opportunity. She wiped her face with her non-dominant hand before taking a practice swing, later acknowledging that the decision would likely be second-guessed.
“People who don’t watch tennis are going to be like, ‘Why did you do that?’ ” Gauff said. “At the end of the day, that’s the choice I made. Was it the right one in that moment? Maybe not. But then also, if I make it, everyone’s going to say how clutch of a shot that was.”
Coco Gauff of the United States during her post-match interview after defeating Jessica Pegula of the United States in the quarter-final on Day Nine of The Championships Wimbledon 2026.Credit: Robert Prange/Getty
“That’s just tennis,” she said. “You lose some points off margins.”
Muchova also let a match point slip away before Gauff hit a forehand into the net to seal the match for the Czech player.
“It was such a big fight,” Muchova said. “It was a roller coaster.”
Coco Gauff at the 2024 French Open.Credit: ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty
Wimbledon is a significant tournament for Gauff, who burst into the international spotlight on the prestigious grass court in 2019 at age 15 when she became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the Open Era. This year was her most successful Wimbledon yet, with Gauff making the quarter and then semifinals for the first time.
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Gauff’s mom, Candi, showed her love for her daughter after the loss on her Instagram Stories. She reposted a smiling photo of the tennis star on the court, simply adding two emojis alongside her handle: “@cocogauff ❤️ 🙏🏾.”
To date, Gauff is a two-time Grand Slam singles champion. She won the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open.
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