Coco Gauff wins first-round match at the French Open despite forgetting her rackets

Coco Gauff started her 2025 French Open journey as determined as she could be to win, but she forgot the very important thing that she needed to clinch her victory: her tennis rackets. 

The athlete walked into the court to face Australia’s Olivia Gadecki when she noticed something was off. When she opened her bag, she realised her tennis rackets weren’t there, and she had accidentally left them in the locker room. 

A little embarrassed, Gauff told the chair umpire: “They were supposed to be in my bag.” After this, a ball boy then brought Gauff her rackets, which helped her secure the victory with a final scoreline of 6-2, 6-2. She is now moving on to the second round of the tournament.

Explaining her side of the story, Gauff expressed after the match, “I thought they put the rackets in the bag, and my side court bag is filled with drinks and everything… So it felt like I had enough weight. And then I got on court, and I opened the first zipper. I was like, ‘OK, no rackets.’ The second zipper, I was like, ‘Oh my God. I went on court with no rackets.’”

Moreover, she joked and blamed her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel, for what happened. The athlete added, “…as long as I’ve been on tour, my coach has always put the rackets in the bag before the match because he’s very superstitious. I’m blaming it on my coach. It’s OK.”

In a social media post, the athlete jokingly shared a picture of her checklist before the game, and the box with a reminder to ‘put tennis rackets in bag’ does not have a check mark. She stated in the caption: “Oops, forgot the last one.”

Netizens responded with a mix of humour and encouragement. Many joked about the incident, calling it a “first-round icebreaker,” and reassured her by saying, “Coco, the most important thing is that you bring enthusiasm and joy to the game.”

In another social media post, Gauff herself made light of the situation, saying, “No rackets, but the fit is still a hit.”

Supporters kept the mood upbeat, focusing on her confidence and style rather than the mistake. Comments like “no rackets no problem,” “Period sis!!!! 🔥🔥,” and “You will be victorious 🫶🫶” showed that fans remain optimistic about her future performances and admire her passion for the game.