“It’s been a tough couple weeks” – Coco Gauff reveals why she burst into tears during ‘challenging’ moment in US Open 2R win

Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion and world No. 3, fought through tears and serving struggles to secure a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over Donna Vekic in the second round of the US Open 2025 on August 28, 2025, at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 21-year-old American, visibly emotional after being broken at 4-4 in the first set, later revealed that “nerves and pressure” from a “tough couple of weeks on and off the court” triggered her breakdown. Gauff’s resilience, bolstered by the presence of Olympic legend Simone Biles in the stands, propelled her to the third round, where she faces Magdalena Frech. Here’s a detailed look at Gauff’s emotional win, the challenges behind her tears, and how fans in the UK, USA, Australia, and Nigeria can follow her journey, as of 8:32 PM WAT, Friday, August 29, 2025.

Gauff’s Emotional Breakdown: “It’s Been a Tough Couple Weeks”

During her second-round match against Vekic, a former world No. 17 and Paris Olympics silver medalist, Gauff struggled with her serve, committing seven double faults in the first set alone, including consecutive errors that led to a break at 4-4. The pressure culminated in a tearful moment during the changeover, with Gauff hiding her face in a towel and shaking visibly, as captured by @TheTennisLetter on X. Despite trailing 5-4 and 6-5, Gauff clawed back to win the tiebreaker 7-5, regaining composure to dominate the second set 6-2 with just one double fault.

In her post-match press conference, Gauff explained the emotional outburst, saying, “Yeah, I think it was just nerves and just pressure, honestly. I’m someone that usually can thrive on that, and yeah, there’s been a lot on me this tournament, more than usual, which I expected coming in. So yeah, basically what you saw out there was what it was, and I was able to reset through it. But yeah, it was a challenging moment for me on the court. It’s been a tough couple weeks on and off the court, but I’m just happy to get through it today.”

Gauff hinted at personal and professional challenges, including an underwhelming run of results—first-round exits at Berlin and Wimbledon—and a recent coaching change, having parted ways with Brad Gilbert and hired biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan to address her tour-leading 320 double faults in 2025. She added, “I just show people what it’s like to be a human, and I have bad days, but I think it’s more about how you get up after those bad moments and how you show up after that.”

Simone Biles’ Inspiration and Crowd Support

A key factor in Gauff’s recovery was the presence of Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, who watched from the stands. Gauff credited Biles’ mental resilience as a source of calm, stating, “She helped me pull it out. I was just thinking: If she could go on a 6-inch beam and do that, with all the pressures of the world, then I can hit the ball. It brought me a little bit of calm, just knowing her story, with all the things she went through mentally.” The two met backstage, with a heartfelt moment shared by @usopen on X, captioned, “The moment @CocoGauff met @Simone_Biles 🥹.”

The Arthur Ashe crowd also played a pivotal role, with Gauff tearfully thanking fans in her on-court interview: “Today was a tough match for me. But I’m just happy with how I was able to manage. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but I’m just happy to be back on this court and you guys bring me so much joy.” The support helped Gauff reset after a locker-room break, where she splashed water on her face to refocus, leading to a dominant second set.

Gauff’s US Open 2025 Campaign

Gauff’s second-round win followed a shaky first-round performance against Ajla Tomljanovic, where she battled through three sets (6-4, 6-7(2-7), 7-5) with 10 double faults and 59 unforced errors. Despite these struggles, her baseline defense and mental toughness carried her past Vekic, a player who defeated her at the Paris Olympics. Gauff’s next challenge is Magdalena Frech in the third round on August 30, 2025, against whom she holds a 1-0 head-to-head from a 2024 Australian Open win. A potential fourth-round clash with Naomi Osaka or Daria Kasatkina looms, as outlined by @TheTennisLetter on X.

Gauff’s 2025 season has been mixed, with a French Open title in June but early exits on hard courts, including a loss to Jasmine Paolini in Cincinnati (2-6, 6-4, 6-3), where 71.8% of Paolini’s points came from Gauff’s unforced errors. Her serving woes remain a concern, with MacMillan’s coaching focused on rebuilding her motion, a process Gauff called “tough” but necessary for long-term success.

Off-Court Context: Defending Taylor Townsend

In her press conference, Gauff also addressed a controversy involving her friend Taylor Townsend, who faced criticism from Jelena Ostapenko after a US Open match. Ostapenko accused Townsend of an unconventional warm-up and a disputed let-cord point, prompting Gauff to defend her, saying, “She’s always warmed up at the net since juniors—it’s not against the rules. Same with the let cord—she had a winner afterwards and that’s not against the rules either.” Gauff emphasized Townsend’s character, suggesting Ostapenko’s comments were made in the “heat of the moment.”