Coco Gauff appears to have made a bold decision regarding Serena Williams which she could live to regret.
Gauff was reported to be a target for Williams to play doubles with in Berlin this year, as she looks to continue her comeback to the WTA Tour.
However, that does not appear to have worked out, as Williams is now confirmed to be partnering Karolina Muchova in the German capital.
With Gauff seemingly rejecting Williams’ offer, it now begs the question as to whether she could look back on this decision with regret.
Coco Gauff could have regrets about not playing with Serena Williams
Gauff is one of the best singles players on the WTA Tour, as the world number seven and a two-time Grand Slam champion.
Therefore it is understandable that Gauff would want to focus on singles, particularly after having a disappointing grass court season last year, where she lost both of her matches.
However, Gauff appearing to reject playing doubles with Williams is different to playing doubles with any other player.
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Williams was Gauff’s idol growing up, and they have never had the opportunity to play doubles together before.
This was the perfect opportunity for Gauff to fulfil a dream of hers, something that she may never have the chance to do again.
While Williams is expected to play more tournaments after the Berlin Open, she is also likely to reunite on court with her older sister Venus, and therefore Gauff may have missed her opportunity.
If Gauff loses early in singles in Berlin, she is likely to have big regrets about her decision not to go after a doubles partnership with Serena.
Coco Gauff’s singles game could have benefited from playing doubles
Gauff has achieved many great doubles results over the years, winning 10 titles in her career, including the 2024 Roland Garros title with Katerina Siniakova, who also rejected Williams recently.
Many players have spoken about how much doubles can help their singles games, which includes Gauff’s compatriot Ben Shelton at the Dallas Open earlier this year.
“Playing doubles this week was a thought for getting used to the court, working on my volleys and hand skills up at the net, and return of serve as well as the serve and getting used to playing some of the pressure points,” Shelton said earlier this year.
“I think that it definitely helped me in the end when it came down to it in my singles matches.”
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This feels particularly important for the grass court season, where there is limited time to play matches ahead of Wimbledon.
Gauff could also have used playing doubles with Williams as a good distraction to take away from many of the pressures she faces playing singles.
The Berlin Open will begin on Monday, June 15, as Gauff plays singles, while Williams competes alongside Muchova.
