Gauff has no regrets despite match point heartbreak against Muchova

Coco Gauff's bid for a maiden Wimbledon final ended in heartbreak on Thursday when a split-second hesitation and a forehand into the net on match point dashed her dreams against Karolina Muchova. The seventh seed was on the cusp of victory at 9-8 in the 10-point tiebreak, only to miss her attempted drop shot, allowing Muchova to ultimately prevail 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10).

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Yes, people who don't watch tennis are going to be like, 'why did you do that?' At the end of the day, that's the choice I made. Was it the right one in that moment? Maybe not. But then also, if I make it, everyone's going to say how clutch of a shot that was. I think that's just tennis.

Despite the agonizing defeat, Gauff stated she had no regrets about her shot selection. "At the end of the day, that's the choice I made. Was it the right one in that moment? Maybe not," Gauff told reporters. "But then also, if I make it, everyone's going to say how clutch of a shot that was. I think that's just tennis."

Gauff attributed the error to the ball's bounce catching her off guard. "I just panicked a little bit. It just takes moments like this to learn from, have more of a clear, concise plan of what I want to do," she added. "At the end of the day, I left it all out there. My only regret, or I don't have any regrets, is just obviously points I want to make better decisions on. But that's how you learn and become a better player."

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I just panicked a little bit. It just takes moments like this to learn from, have more of a clear, concise plan of what I want to do. At the end of the day, I left it all out there. My only regret, or I don't have any regrets, is just obviously points I want to make better decisions on. But that's how you learn and become a better player.

She drew parallels to other prominent players who have faced similar setbacks, citing Roger Federer's 2019 Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner's French Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz last year. "Every great champion has this happen in their career. Maybe this is something I need to be on their level," Gauff remarked.

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Every great champion has this happen in their career. Maybe this is something I need to be on their level.

Despite the disappointment, Gauff found positives in her campaign. She admitted that the sting of the loss was significant, especially being so close to a final. However, she also acknowledged her fan's perspective, recognizing the quality of the remaining players. Gauff remained defiant about potential social media criticism, stating, "It makes you stronger... it's the usual. It sucks, but it's like, 'whatever. I'll be on the winning end next time.'"

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It makes you stronger... it's the usual. It sucks, but it's like, 'whatever. I'll be on the winning end next time' and I'll be sure to tag them.