Coco Gauff will play doubles with Caty McNally at the Italian Open.
The Americans last played together during a Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tie three years ago, where they defeated the Austrian duo, Melanie Klaffner and Sinja Kraus, in straight sets.
Do you still believe Coco Gauff can defend her French Open title?
Another shaky performance on the clay…
Following her third-round win in singles, Gauff shared her thoughts on McNally and their imminent return to doubles.
Coco Gauff says she reached out to ‘good friend’ Caty McNally to play doubles in Rome
During an interview with the ‘Tennis Channel‘, Gauff said the following.
“This is our first time playing in a long time,” she said.
“Really, I always loved Caty [McNally], so it was just that we were in different places, and then I took a step back from doubles.
Coco Gauff’s doubles titles
| Title | Tier | Surface | Partner |
| 2019 Washington Open | WTA 250 | Hard | Caty McNally |
| 2019 Luxembourg Open | WTA 250 | Indoor hard | Caty McNally |
| 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open | WTA 250 | Clay | Caty McNally |
| 2022 Qatar Open | WTA 1000 | Hard | Jessica Pegula |
| 2022 Canadian Open | WTA 1000 | Hard | Jessica Pegula |
| 2022 Southern California Open | WTA 500 | Hard | Jessica Pegula |
| 2023 Qatar Open | WTA 500 | Hard | Jessica Pegula |
| 2023 Miami Open | WTA 1000 | Hard | Jessica Pegula |
| 2024 French Open | Grand Slam | Clay | Katerina Siniakova |
| 2025 Canadian Open | WTA 1000 | Hard | McCartney Kessler |
“I was looking for someone for Rome, I told her in Miami, if you need someone for Rome let me know, she was like, okay I’ll let you know.
“A couple of weeks later, she let me know, and we’re getting the band back together.
“So I’m really excited, looking forward to playing with Caty, she’s one of my good friends, and yeah, I’m just excited, it’s going to be fun.”
Playing her first doubles match of the year, Gauff will be joined by McNally to take on the Indonesian pair: Janice Tjen and Aldila Sutjiadi on Sunday, May 10.
Coco Gauff reflects on ‘tough day’ in Rome after beating Solana Sierra
Doubles with McNally may provide a welcome distraction for Gauff, who hasn’t looked comfortable on the singles court in Rome.
“It was a tough day for me, emotionally, a lot of ups and downs,” she said.
“That’s the thing about this sport: on your tough days, you still have to show up and try your best.
“I’m glad that I was able to pull it off; it was a good win for me, for sure.”
Growing frustrated during her 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 win over Sierra, Gauff was seen hitting herself with her racket, not something she’s looking to make a habit of…
“It’s not something that I want to do, or make a habit of, yeah, I think you go through things off court, and then you come, and you try, it amplifies everything,” she said.
“I didn’t want to throw my racket or anything, so I took it out on myself, but maybe it’s better on the ground than myself.”
Gauff was then asked about her impressive record in three-set matches, which stands at 21-9 since the beginning of the 2025 season.
“I think it’s something the opponents can maybe think about too, they win the first set, it’s still a long road to the finish of the match,” she said.
“Sometimes you have to dig these ones out, and today was one of those days.
“Solana [Sierra] was playing really well, I don’t think it was all on me, she stepped up her level, and I was able to step it up when it mattered, too.”
Finally, Gauff looked ahead to her fourth-round match, where she will play either Iva Jovic or Taylor Townsend.
“Iva [Jovic] is obviously killing it, super young, and ambitious,” she said.
“I think she has such a great game and head on her shoulders, so it’s going to be tough.
“And Taylor [Townsend] is almost the same, maybe a little bit older, but same, just as ambitious, and also is playing some great tennis, and I think she does really well on the clay, so I think either way I have a good match on my hands, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Gauff will play her fourth-round match on Monday, May 11.
