Coco Gauff and the Battle Against Time at Wimbledon
The clock really doesn’t matter in tennis. Matches end when someone wins the last point. Period.
But at Wimbledon, things changed. On Centre Court, time suddenly became Coco Gauff’s main opponent.
There was that looming threat: the strict 11 p.m. curfew at the All England Club. It felt like a physical weight. Gauff wasn't just trying to win; she was sprinting against the hands of the clock itself.
Two minutes before play would have been suspended entirely, she managed to unleash a wide service winner on her very first match point. Defeating Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and finally snagging that spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.
The ball just flew there. Untouched. And then Gauff tapped her left wrist a small celebration. A nod to how dramatic that finish felt.
“I was looking at the clock during that last service game,” she admitted. “I thought, ‘I need big serves and big shots.’ So when I went for that match point, I just wanted a serve and volley. I needed to end it right then.”
It hit her hard. It reminded her of something else entirely. Something from basketball.
Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7 buzzer-beater for the Raptors in ’19. That kind of moment. The chance slipping away if you didn't seize it.
She said that was probably the most dramatic finish she’d ever experienced. She hadn’t had to race against time before when playing tennis; we just don't have a clock running down. But today? There was pressure. A real sense of racing. Glad she hadn’t chosen basketball back then.
Gauff played basketball as a kid, sure. But she never hit those buzzer-beaters. None of them.
She reached the Wimbledon fourth round four times since bursting onto the scene in 2019. But she always hesitated at the final step. This time was different. She pushed it through.
“I’m definitely hungry for more,” she said later. “But honestly, it’s still a great accomplishment.”
Her reward wasn't just that point. It was an all-American quarterfinal against Jessica Pegula. They rallied past Iva Jovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. A real push.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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