Coco Gauff made a memorable start at the French Open 2025—not just for her strong performance, but for forgetting her rackets before the match. The American second seed eventually dominated Australia’s Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-2 despite the humorous mix-up, while Russian star Daniil Medvedev suffered a stunning first-round loss to Britain’s Cameron Norrie on a chilly and gusty day in Paris.
Before the match, Gauff walked onto the court only to discover she had no rackets in her bag. Laughing off the moment, she quickly received her gear from her support team and then went on to showcase her title ambitions with a composed and confident win.
Speaking to Sloane Stephens on TNT, Gauff explained, “I honestly thought the rackets were in the bag. My court bag had drinks and everything else, so I assumed it was packed. Then I opened one zipper—no rackets. Then the next—still nothing. I had walked on with zero rackets. Usually my coach JC packs them in.”
The incident did not disrupt her rhythm as Gauff stormed through the opening games, dropped serve briefly, but closed the first set strong and maintained complete control in the second.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Daniil Medvedev’s tournament ended in disappointment as he lost a five-set battle to Cameron Norrie with scores of 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5. The defeat highlighted his ongoing struggle on clay courts.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev, last year’s finalist, showed no such issues as he cruised into the second round with a solid 6-3 6-3 6-4 win over American Learner Tien. Zverev, who has reached three Grand Slam finals but has yet to secure a title, looks to make another deep run this year.
Among other highlights, Sofia Kenin made a strong statement by beating France’s Varvara Gracheva 6-3 6-1. Hailey Baptiste came back from a set down to defeat 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6 6-3 6-1.
Veteran Victoria Azarenka etched her name in the history books, becoming the oldest woman since 1968 to win a Grand Slam main-draw match with a commanding 6-0 6-0 victory over Yanina Wickmayer.
Wimbledon 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova continued her good form with a 6-4 6-4 win over Oksana Selekhmeteva. Sixth seed Mirra Andreeva also impressed, defeating Cristina Bucsa 6-4 6-3, reinforcing her status as a strong contender after reaching the semi-finals last year.
On the men’s side, Dusan Lajovic was knocked out by lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko 6-2 6-4 7-6(4), while Laslo Djere fell to Australia’s Alex De Minaur 6-3 6-4 7-6(6).
Eyes are now on Novak Djokovic as the 38-year-old Serbian aims for his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. He faces American Mackenzie McDonald in his opening match.
However, it was a tough outing for Grigor Dimitrov who had to retire again due to injury, marking his fourth consecutive Grand Slam exit under similar circumstances, this time against American Ethan Quinn.
