Gauff: "Clay Court Is Like That Nice Guy Who Treats You Well, But With Whom There's No Chemistry"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 25 Apr 2026 | 10.35

Gauff: "Clay Courts Are Like That Good Guy Who Treats You Well, But There's No Chemistry". Photo: Getty Images

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Coco Gauff and clay courts, a love-hate relationship. Despite the 22-year-old already having a Roland Garros title, a final in the Mutua Madrid Open, and another in the Masters 1000 in Rome, she doesn't quite feel as comfortable as on hard courts, where she has won the rest of her titles, including a US Open.

This peculiar relationship with clay was confirmed by Gauff herself in her interview with Tennis Channel after her debut at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she easily defeated Leolia Jeanjean 6-3, 6-0. She also took the opportunity to discuss the change in conditions from Stuttgart to Madrid and her high first-serve percentage (80%) in her debut.

Coco Gauff describes her relationship with clay courts

"Clay is like that nice guy who treats you well but there's no chemistry. That's how I feel. I have many quirks with clay: my socks get dirty, I fall, today I have a cut, also something on my knee. And it's never completely stable, you don't know what you'll find, which sometimes makes it fun, but other times I need stability in my life."

Her new serving technique starts to bear fruit

"I think it's just when I fully trust myself and the new technique we're working on. Today showed that when I achieve that, it's quite difficult for my opponents. So I hope to maintain that rhythm for the rest of the tournament, well, hopefully forever."

From struggling in Stuttgart to navigating the heights of Madrid

"Stuttgart is always a tough tournament for me. I never quite feel myself on that clay, but I'll keep trying. Maybe someday I'll get it right. Here, on the other hand, it's another tournament where I used to struggle, but last year I had a great result."

"I've learned to play in these high-altitude conditions on clay. Today they suited my game well. The ball bounced very high off my racket. The transition from Stuttgart to Madrid is challenging because you go from indoor, where the ball bounces low, to here, where it bounces much higher. My training week wasn't the best, but the last two days have been very good, so I'm sticking with that."

Madrid's conditions are very unique

"It forces you to rely more on your shots and let the conditions work in your favor. Sometimes you think you have to play amazingly, and sometimes you do, but the conditions help a lot. Today I hit balls that weren't perfect, and yet they bounced a lot due to the altitude. It's something I've learned over the years in this tournament," concludes Coco Gauff who, while not fully enjoying clay, continues to rack up victories on it.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff: "La tierra batida es como ese chico bueno que te trata bien, pero con el que no hay química"