Coco Gauff will not see hard courts for a while after her 2024 Miami Open exit, but she's excited for some clay action.
The American had high hopes for the Sunshine Double, and her fans likely as well. Both were left disappointed with the way it went because even though she made the semi-finals in Indian Wells, the 20-year-old missed out on the trophy.
The Miami Open run was better, but she still lost early to Caroline Garcia. There was quite a bit of disappointment in Gauff's voice after her match, but she struck a more positive tone by looking ahead to the future.
Clay is not an unfamiliar surface for Gauff, who has done really well on it in the past. She even made the Roland Garros final two years ago.
She hopes to put this Sunshine Double disappointment behind her and is quite excited about some clay tennis. It's a totally different dynamic compared to hard-court tennis, and it's less punishable for her in some respect.
She already knows her full schedule for the coming months, even telling the media in Miami. According to her own words, Gauff will play at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, the Madrid Open, the Italian Open in Rome, and the Roland Garros, a standard clay swing for most top players.
"Yeah, I am excited. I wish I could have did better this hard court season, but I am excited for clay. I'm playing Stuttgart as of right now, and then obviously Madrid, Rome, and French Open."
It wasn't the best clay swing last year, as she failed to win back-to-back matches at all events outside of Roland Garros. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix begins on April 15th, so Gauff will have some time to rest before heading to Europe.