Coco Gauff lost to Paula Badosa, 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, in the second round of the Berlin Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion lost her first grass-court match of the 2026 season.
She was dominant in the first set, but couldn’t maintain that level, as Gauff exited the Berlin Open.
What does Coco Gauff need to change to become a contender on grass?
She's out of the Berlin Open…
Still, there is no reason to panic just yet, and the American should take confidence from what Badosa said about her after the match.
Paula Badosa and her coach were impressed by Coco Gauff’s level in Berlin
During Badosa’s post-match interview, she shared her thoughts on Gauff’s performance.
“Honestly, she was playing really, really hard,” said Badosa.
“I’ve played against Coco [Gauff] so many times, so I know she has this level.
“My coach, after the first set, said, ‘I’ve never seen Coco play like this, so just keep believing; you will have your opportunity if you stay aggressive,’ and that’s what I did.”
Gauff was by all accounts, excellent in the first set against Badosa.
And while the same can’t be said about the second and third sets, Gauff should still take confidence from how she started the match.
The level she produced in that first set would trouble even the best grass-court players in the women’s game.
Who is currently the best grass-court player on the WTA Tour?
If she can find a way to produce that tennis regularly, there is no reason why she can’t challenge for the Wimbledon title next month.
The issue is that Gauff has yet to prove herself as a consistent grass-court contender.
Part of the problem is the length of the grass-court season.
While players compete on clay and hard courts for several months each year, Gauff and many of her rivals play just one or two tournaments on grass per season.
Since 2021, Gauff has only played 12 tournaments on the surface.
Coco Gauff’s grass-court record since 2021
| Tournament | Tier | Performance | Match wins | Defeat |
| 2026 Berlin Open | WTA 500 | Second round | 0 | Paula Badosa |
| 2025 Wimbledon | Grand Slam | First round | 0 | Dayana Yastremska |
| 2025 Berlin Open | WTA 500 | Second round | 0 | Wang Xinyu |
| 2024 Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Fourth round | 3 (Caroline Dolehide, Anca Alexia Todoni, Sonay Kartal) | Emma Navarro |
| 2024 Berlin Open | WTA 500 | Semi-final | 2 (Ekaterina Alexandrova, Ons Jabeur) | Jessica Pegula |
| 2023 Wimbledon | Grand Slam | First round | 0 | Sofia Kenin |
| 2023 Eastbourne International | WTA 250 | Semi-final | 3 (Bernarda Pera, Jodie Burrage, Jessica Pegula) | Madison Keys |
| 2023 Berlin Open | WTA 500 | Second round | 1 (Katerina Siniakova) | Ekaterina Alexandrova |
| 2022 Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Third round | 2 (Elena Gabriela Ruse, Mihaela Buzarnescu) | Amanda Anisimova |
| 2022 Berlin Open | WTA 500 | Semi-final | 3 (Ann Li, Wang Xinyu, Karolina Pliskova) | Ons Jabeur |
| 2021 Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Fourth round | 3 (Francesca Jones, Elena Vesnina, Kaja Juvan) | Angelique Kerber |
| 2021 Eastbourne International | WTA 500 | Second round | 1 (Elise Mertens) | Anastasija Sevastova |
That’s not a reflection on Gauff, but more so the nature of the WTA calendar.
It’s never going to be easy for the American to adapt her game to grass, when she has so few opportunities to play on the surface.
However, that’s not to say she can’t play more.
Gauff has only played three grass-court tournaments in a season once, back in 2023.
Having lost early in Berlin, perhaps she should consider taking a last-minute wild card into one of the tournaments taking place the week before Wimbledon.
- Bad Homburg Open – WTA 500
- Eastbourne Open – WTA 250
Iga Swiatek played Bad Homburg last year before winning the Wimbledon title shortly after.
Will Gauff follow in her footsteps? Only time will tell.
Why Coco Gauff hasn’t left Berlin yet despite losing her opening match
Gauff still has work to do in the German capital.
The world number seven has also entered the doubles competition in Berlin, with Jessica Pegula.
Gauff and Pegula won their opening match against Anastasia Potapova and Diana Shnaider in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.
They will now prepare to take on Asia Muhammad and Fanny Stollar in the quarter-finals on Thursday, June 18.
