Coco Gauff’s competitive spirit is showing even when she’s not playing. The 2023 US Open champion revealed why she chose to skip the revamped mixed doubles event at this year’s tournament, and her reasoning goes deeper than just scheduling conflicts.
What Did Coco Gauff Say About Skipping the Revamped 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles?
When asked about her decision during a recent press conference, Gauff was refreshingly honest about her priorities. The World No. 2 explained that her schedule during US Open Fan Week was already packed with sponsor commitments that had been planned far in advance.
However, it wasn’t just about time management. Gauff’s competitive nature played a major role in her decision.
“Yeah. For me, it was just because I know the free week of the US Open is already packed for me, for sponsor things, and it was just like a whole other thing. And I’m very competitive; if I were to lose, I would not be happy. So, I didn’t want to waste mental energy on that,” Gauff said.
The timing also presented logistical challenges. With the mixed doubles event scheduled for Aug. 19 and 20, 2025, followed immediately by potential singles matches, Gauff knew the schedule wouldn’t work for her preparation style.
“Then on top of the sponsor stuff, the pre-week, and then knowing that this finished on Monday and potentially having to play on Tuesday. Well, you would have to play on a Tuesday. So I just knew it wasn’t going to work out for me, scheduling-wise,” she continued.
Despite sitting out this year, Gauff didn’t close the door on future participation. The format has caught her attention, but her business commitments are mapped out well in advance.
“I think it’s cool, and I think it’s going to be an exciting two days, and not knocking it off for the future. It’s just that I plan my sponsor weeks literally like a year out, sometimes a year and a half out. And when this whole thing was coming up, I was already booked and busy,” Gauff added.
While fellow Americans Jessica Pegula, Taylor Fritz, Emma Navarro, and Tommy Paul will compete in the mixed doubles event at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Gauff is focusing her energy on singles preparation.
Currently, Gauff is putting that focused energy to work at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. As the second seed, she received a first-round bye and started her campaign strong with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Wang Xinyu in the second round. This marks her second win against Wang in their three meetings on the WTA Tour.
Who Will Gauff Face Next at the 2025 Cincinnati Open?
Gauff’s path through Cincinnati continues with a challenging third-round matchup against 32nd seed Dayana Yastremska. The Ukrainian earned her spot by defeating qualifier Viktoriya Tomova 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in her opening match after receiving a first-round bye.
This matchup carries extra weight given their recent history. Gauff leads their head-to-head record 3-1 across four WTA Tour meetings, but Yastremska won their most recent encounter at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships with a convincing 7-6(3), 6-1 victory in the first round.
Yastremska arrives in Cincinnati in solid form. She reached the fourth round at the 2025 Canadian Open, where she defeated Camila Osorio and Emma Navarro before falling to Elena Rybakina, showing she can compete with top-level players.
The stakes are clear for both players. The winner of this WTA 1000 hard court showdown will advance to face either 23rd seed Jeļena Ostapenko or Lucia Bronzetti in the fourth round, keeping their Cincinnati title hopes alive while building momentum toward the US Open.
For Gauff, this match represents another step in her preparation for defending her New York crown, where she’ll channel all that competitive energy she’s saving by skipping mixed doubles into her singles campaign.
