By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 24, 2026
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
A candid Coco Gauff shared a relationship confession in Madrid.
After Gauff rampaged through nine games in a row dismissing French qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-3, 6-0, she issued an update on her relationship with red clay.
Reigning Roland Garros champion Gauff joked despite her dirt success, her current clay connection feels like a bad romance.
“Clay is like the good guy that treats you nice—the chemistry is just not there,” Gauff told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “And that’s how I feel today.
“Like I have a lot of icks with the clay, my socks get dirty, I’m always falling. I have a little cut from today. It’s never completely like true.”
Though only two of her 11 career championships have come on clay, two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff is coming off a superb 2025 clay campaign that saw her reach finals in Madrid and Rome before battling by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Roland Garros final.
When it comes to deepening her bond with dirt, Gauff said clay is simply too flaky to count on.
“Hard [court] you know what you’re gonna get,” Gauff said. “Clay, you don’t know what you’re gonna get, which makes it fun and entertaining sometimes. [But] sometimes I just need stability in my life.”
Oddly enough, the instability of the dirt brings out the best in Gauff who can be calm in the eye of the clay storm.
In the first French Open final between the world’s top two women in 12 years last June, then No. 2 Gauff was simply too tough for No. 1 Sabalenka at crunch time.
A committed Gauff combated Sabalenka’s fierce power and unruly whipping wind with pure poise pulling off a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 comeback to capture her maiden Roland Garros championship in a thriller.
Dirt rewards some of Gauff’s greatest strengths.
The fastest player in the sport has more time to defend on dirt. Gauff extended points to maddening lengths toppling Sabalanka in that Roland Garros final. On clay, the disparity between Gauff’s flat forcing backhand and her twisting topspin forehand can be even more jarring for opponents and she can apply her athleticism, speed and stamina more effectively in extending clay-court exchanges.
Gauff, who will face 25th-seeded Sorana Cirstea in Madrid next, said trust is key to making her ongoing relationship with red clay work.
“I think it just forces you to trust your shots more and also know like let the conditions work for you,” Gauff said. “Sometimes, you think you have to play amazing, which you do sometimes, but really conditions can work a lot for you.
“I hit a lot of balls today which I thought weren’t the best, but the altitude can really make them bounce. That’s just something I learned over the years playing this tournament.”
