Coco Gauff will soon embark on her eighth French Open campaign; and her first as the defending champion.
Gauff famously defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 French Open final, roaring back from a set down to defeat the world number one 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
The occasion marked Gauff’s second Grand Slam title, cementing her status as one of the best clay-court players on the WTA Tour.
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Gauff has emerged as a strong contender for this year’s title, despite enduring a difficult start to her 2026 campaign.
The American has come into form ahead of Roland Garros, and Kim Clijsters may have identified the reason why.
Kim Clijsters believes Coco Gauff has improved her serve
Last year, Coco Gauff struggled mightily on serve, often hitting double-digit double-fault numbers during matches.
These struggles prompted the American to hire biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, who previously helped Aryna Sabalenka to transform her serve into one of the best on the WTA Tour.
Gauff’s inconsistencies continued thereafter, despite the influence of MacMillan.
However, Gauff now appears to have developed some consistency on the shot, and this has been recognised by Kim Clijsters.
“I think she got out of these pre-Roland Garros tournaments what she wanted,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said on the Love All Podcast.
“She’s playing well, I feel like her serve was better, which is what she needs as well, and a lot of people have been talking about that.
“I do think confidence-wise, she’s at a level where it was different a few months ago, that’s good to see.
“And even though it’s a loss against Svitolina, I do think she left that match, thinking I can beat her, it’s not like she got beat off the court, and that’s always a good feeling to have as well.
“I think she had a great preparation, and is kind of happy to take a couple of days now, get to Paris, and adjust to the new surroundings.”
Gauff’s Italian Open campaign certainly represented stellar preparation for Roland Garros.
Gauff defeated some of the best clay-court players on the Tour in Italy – including Mirra Andreeva – before losing to Elina Svitolina in a close three-set final.
Coco Gauff’s reaction after winning the French Open
Coco Gauff is seeking to become the first American woman since Chris Evert in 1986 to win back-to-back French Open titles.
Last year, Gauff overcame the demons of her 2022 French Open final loss, beating Aryna Sabalenka to claim her first title in Paris.
“I was going through a lot of things when I lost this final three years ago, so it means a lot to be back and here and to win,” Gauff said after the final
“The crowd really helped me today, you guys were cheering for me so hard. I don’t know what I do to deserve so much love from the French crowd, but I appreciate you guys.
“I didn’t think, honestly, that I could do it. But I’m actually going to quote Tyler the Creator [American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer] right here. And he said, if I ever had a doubt…if I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying. So I would like to leave that with you guys.
“I think I was lying to myself and I definitely could do it. So shout out to Tyler and shout out to you guys. Thank you, Paris.”
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Meanwhile, Sabalenka was left devastated by her performance in the final.
“This loss hurts so much, especially after such a tough two weeks, I played great tennis,” the world number one said.
“And in these terrible conditions, [I] showed such terrible tennis in the final.”
