What is Coco Gauff’s best surface? Hard courts or the red dirt?
Coco Gauff remains undefeated in WTA Tour finals on hard courts, but she has a better record in terms of win-loss percentage on clay courts. So, which is her best surface?
The 22-year-old American won the 2025 Wuhan Open without dropping a set as she defeated the likes of Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula en route to lifting her second trophy of the year.
Gauff has now reached nine hard-court finals, and she has won all them with her other titles coming at WTA Finals, China Open and Auckland Open in 2023, the US Open, Cincinnati Open, Washington Open and Auckland Open in 2023, and the Linz Open in 2019.
Meanwhile, she is 2-3 in finals on clay after winning the French Open this year and the Emilia-Romagna Open back in 2021, but she has a better overall record on the surface than on hard courts.
The three finals she has lost are the 2022 French Open and this year’s WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.
Hard Court v Clay Court Records
Following her title run in Wuhan, Gauff improved her win-loss record to 157-65 (71%) while she is 28–9 so far in 2025. On clay she is 67–22 (75%) with an 18-3 win-loss record in 2025.
After winning the French Open in June, the two-time Grand Slam winner was asked about her favourite surface and told Tennis Channel: “When I was younger, I always thought my best surface was hard, and then I got on tour, and I thought my best surface was on clay, and then the US Open, and I was like maybe it is hard!
“But I don’t know, there’s something about clay that I have always felt comfortable on. I feel like this year, more than ever, I am moving the best that I have, especially so early in the clay season.”
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Gauff’s movement, fitness and her ability to slide on clay are big reasons why she does well on the red dirt, but after adding another hard-court trophy to her collection, the world No 3 is now leaning towards hard courts again.
“I definitely think it’s the surface I’m most true to,” she stated after the Wuhan tournament. “Growing up I liked the sureness of bounces and the sureness of knowing when I’m going to stop and when I’m going to go.
“A lot of people think (my best surface) is clay. I don’t know my favourite surface. I feel like it’s still going to be hard court, for me.”
Seeded third at the event in China, Gauff produced some of her performances in recent months and will no doubt give her a big boost ahead of the WTA Finals – which will also be played on hard courts – where she is the defending champion where she has 1,300 points to defend.
Last year, she beat Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek en route to the final before defeating Zheng Qinwen in three sets to win the title.
“This definitely gives me a lot more confidence going into the WTA finals, after the way the mid-part of the season went for me, especially in New York,” she said.
“It gives me a lot of confidence to try to defend that title. Obviously, winning it last year, I know how tough it is to do, so I’m just going to take it match by match and hopefully I can end up with the trophy.”
