“Obviously that's the game plan against me”: Coco Gauff on how she’s working to fix the weaknesses rivals exploit

Coco Gauff spoke about how her opponents often use the same game plan against her after getting revenge on Maria Sakkari at Indian Wells. A year ago, the Greek player defeated her in the tournament’s semifinals after an inconsistent performance from Gauff.

This time, the American had her chance for revenge and, after a closely contested first set, she sealed the victory 7-6, 6-2. It’s an intriguing rivalry, as they have now faced each other nine times, with Sakkari winning five and Gauff four.

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Gauff breaks down how opponents attack her game

Earlier this week, Gauff overcame Moyuka Uchijima in a thrilling second-round match that was decided in a third-set tiebreak. The Japanese player constantly attacked the 2023 US Open champion’s forehand— a game plan that Sakkari also tried to execute in this match.

Gauff’s forehand is arguably the weakest part of her game, and the American is well aware that most opponents aim to exploit it. “Obviously, that's the game plan against me, and I would say since the end of last year I have been playing more aggressively on that side, so I think people just don't feel comfortable necessarily just putting a ball there.”

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“If I get a neutral ball, especially on that end of the court. On these courts I try to be aggressive with it,” she added. “I think that's kind of the goal. So, yeah, I'm glad to kind of hear my opponent felt trapped on that (smiling.) But, yeah, especially on these courts, it's so slow, so they have to hit a really good shot for me to not be somewhat aggressive on it.”

“So I have just been working on that, and that was kind of the goal, like, today. And eventually, people attack one and you kind of get used to it at this point,” the world No. 3 added. “I just feel like whenever it's anything neutral or anything I can get a front foot on, I'm kind of going for it.”

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Gauff will face Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in the fourth round. The Swiss player is in outstanding form in 2025 and will have the chance for revenge, as Gauff eliminated her in the Australian Open round of 16 just a few weeks ago.

Back then, Bencic won the first set by targeting Gauff’s forehand and second serves. The American hit 45 unforced errors and nine double faults—numbers she will surely want to avoid against the Tokyo 2021 gold medalist, especially now that Bencic appears to be in peak form and brimming with confidence.

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