Coco Gauff will soon begin her clay-court part of the 2024 WTA season, and she has already chosen where that will happen.
The American will start her season on the red clay at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Playing in Stuttgart isn't unfamiliar to Gauff because she actually played at the event last year.
She made the second round but was easily beaten by Anastasia Potapova, who went 2-0 against Gauff last year. Despite not having the best singles performance, Gauff had a good time overall.
She paired up with Jessica Pegula in the doubles, and they made it all the way to the final, eventually losing to Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia. Due to those positive experiences overall, Gauff elected to return to the event this year to begin her clay season at the event once again.
The confirmation of her participation came through the event, which released a statement by Gauff on her participation.
"I am excited to kick off the clay court swing in Stuttgart. I have had a lot of success on the clay and I think Stuttgart provides the perfect week with great hospitality to start the European season. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is still a tournament I can improve on and I am up for the challenge!"
It's certainly a good place to begin her clay season, as it's traditionally been a very strong event with many great players attending. It will be interesting to see whether Gauff and Pegula pair up once more for the doubles because there is an assumption that they'll play together at the Paris Olympics, which will be played on clay.
Getting in some practice time on a court that is very familiar to both could be beneficial to them. They haven't played together this year. In fact, Gauff hasn't played a single doubles match this year. It's something she's hinted at last year.
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