In an unfortunate incident, defending champion Coco Gauff forgot her tennis rackets after she walked onto the Philippe-Chatrier Court for her opening round match at the French Open 2025 on Tuesday, the video of which went viral on social media.
Sporting a ash-coloured dress, Gauff was taken aback when she didn’t find any of her rackets in the bag and gestured about the same to one of her team members in the stands.
The 21-year-old also showed the empty bag to her opponent Olivia Gadecki, who couldn’t hold her laugh. However, it was the ball boy who came cunning with half a dozen rackets on court.
Despite the rackets issue, Gauff made little effort in thumping Australian Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 in straight sets. The American made up for the delayed start by easing through the first three games and wrapped up the opening set with a battling hold after dropping her service earlier. There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the contest despite the challenging conditions.
Gauff will meet Tereza Valentova in the second round. She has been seeded no.2 for French Open 2025. Notably, the French Open win last year was Gauff only Grand Slam title in career.
What did Gauff say about missing rackets?
Speaking after her win, Gauff thought her team has packed the rackets in the bag only to know on the court that it was filled with drinks. “Honestly, I thought they put the rackets in the bag, and my side court bag is filled with drinks and everything,” Gauff said.
“So it felt like I had enough weight. Then I got on court, and I opened the first zipper. I was like, ‘OK, no rackets’. The second zipper … ‘Oh my God. I went on court with no racquets’. Usually JC (coach Jean-Christophe Faurel) puts them in,” she added.
