"I have some options, I'm going to pick based on who I think I'll have a lot of fun with"- Coco Gauff on picking her mixed doubles partner for Wimbledon 2022
Since no ranking points will be issued at this year's Wimbledon Championships, teenage sensation Coco Gauff has decided to opt out of the women's doubles draw. She, however, is set to play in the mixed doubles.
Gauff took to Twitter to announce her participation and also posted an open call for anyone who'd like to participate with her at the SW19.
The American got some replies from intruiging candidates to her request. Three-time men's doubles Grand Slam winner Jack Sock was quick to suggest that they would make a decent pair at SW19. Her first-ever Majors mixed doubles partner Christopher Eubanks also acknowledged the message and said he wished to repeat their partnership in London.
After her win over Wang Xinyu at the bett1open in Berlin, Gauff was asked about her pick for mixed doubles at Wimbledon, to which she had an interesting reply.
"I have some options...I'm going to pick based off who I think I'll have a lot of fun with. Obviously, you want to win and everything, but I just want to have fun on the court, because you only get the opportunity to play mixed doubles at the Grand Slam," Coco Gauff said.
She also stated the reason behind her open call on Twitter, with a humourous reply of not knowing who to ask personally and a fear of getting rejected.
"The reason why I put it on Twitter was, honestly, I didn’t know who to ask, and I’m honestly scared of rejection. I didn’t want to ask somebody and get rejected, so I was just seeing who responded. It’s been a success; I haven’t found a partner yet, but I have some options and now I’m just trying to decide who,” Gauff said.
"I have some options... I'm going to pick based off who I think I'll have a lot of fun with."
They slipped into her DM's, now we wait to see who @CocoGauff will choose! 👀 https://t.co/lr2hqxA4T6
🤝 ?We’d be a decent team 👀 twitter.com/CocoGauff/stat…
Bruh scoop us a WC so I can carry you again 🥴 twitter.com/cocogauff/stat…
Coco Gauff even got interest from a very unsual candidate, Olympic Alpine skier and tennis lover Mikaela Shiffrin.
@CocoGauff 👋
Fans around the globe will be waiting for her announcement soon and looking forward to an entertaining mixed doubles at the Wimbledon Championships.
Coco Gauff is two wins away from her first grass court title
Teenage sensation Coco Gauff seems to be enjoying her tennis at the moment. The American had a decent start to the year, making the semifinals of the Adelaide International and quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. She bettered those results at the 2022 French Open, where she reached the final - her maiden Grand Slam final - where World No. 1 Iga Swiatek beat her in straight sets.
Partnering fellow American Jessica Pegula, the World No. 13 also made the finals in the Roland Garros women's doubles draw but fell short to local favourites Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.
At the Berlin Open, Coco Gauff eased through her first three rounds with domineering wins over Ann Li, Wang Xinyu and last year's Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova.
Gauff put up a great performance against Pliskova, saving four set points in the first set and breaking the Czech's serve in the penultimate game to gain the advantage in their quarterfinal clash. She consolidated from then on and wrapped up the match 7-5, 6-4 in an hour and thirty eight minutes to secure a place in the last 4 of the bett1open.
The 18-year-old will face either top seed Ons Jabeur or Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich for a place in the finals in Berlin.