Henman delivers harsh truth to Gauff as American admits running out of steam vs Osaka at US Open 2025: ‘It’s so stressful’

Third seed Coco Gauff endured a horrific game as she was knocked out of the US Open 2025 on Monday by former champion Naomi Osaka with a 6-3, 6-2 win the Round 16. Osaka reached the quarter-finals for the first time in five years as she lost just six points on serve during her victory over Gauff.

The 21-year-old Gauff, who won the French Open earlier this year, has been having a challenging time since the victory at Rolland Garros, and the struggle was on full display against Osaka as the American had 33 unforced errors.

Henman delivers big advice to Gauff

British tennis legend Tim Henman felt Gauff looked distracted in her match against Osaka as the 2023 US Open champion kept focussing on her serve rather than the match.

“When you talk about someone being in the zone, that’s when you’ve got that really clear mindset and Osaka had that,” Henman told Sky Sports. “When you think about the other end of the court with Gauff it just looks like she’s so confused out there.

“It’s so stressful. She’s focusing so much on her serve, as we all are, when you’ve got that type of mindset, it’s very difficult to play your best tennis, especially against a world-class player who is making life difficult for you.

Henman also suggested that Gauff needs to take some time off tennis to recover and rediscover her best touch.

“Gauff is such a good competitor, but you saw at the end of the match that she couldn’t wait to get off that court quick enough. We’ve seen the emotion on the court, in tears at times. It’s been almost traumatic at times,” Henman added.

“She needs a little bit of time away from this environment to decompress and contemplate her next move.”

Gauff admits losing steam at US Open 2025

Gauff also spoke about her service game post her defeat, underlining that she well in that department, but her ground shots were poor.

“Today was disappointing because I felt it was the best I’ve served through the whole tournament,” Gauff said.

“Off the ground, I made too many mistakes in too many areas. So it was kind of a weird match with the different areas swapping.

“With how emotional this week way, I was maybe a little empty out there today.”