Coco Gauff's Hilarious Reaction to Wild Serve at Wimbledon

IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

Coco Gauff's Hilarious Reaction to Wild Serve at Wimbledon

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Jul 1, 2026 7:42 PM ET

Earlier today, seventh-seeded Coco Gauff narrowly avoided an upset at the hands of Solana Sierra in the second round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Gauff defeated Sierra: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7).

Gauff trailed 5-3 in the third set and was down 7-4 in the match tiebreak before winning six straight points to steal the victory. Gauff gave a poignant quote after the match, "I was just reminding myself, and my coach always tells me, 'Remember who you are.'"

It was a thrilling match and a heartwarming ending for Gauff. So, now it is acceptable to laugh about her errant serve that nearly hit a ball kid. In the moment, Gauff checked on the kid. But on ESPN's broadcast, she had to laugh at the ugly serve.

Coco Gauff Reacts to Replay

Coco Gauff might've been aiming for Chris Eubanks on this one @malika_andrews | @chris_eubanks96 pic.twitter.com/IqiRRVFOSE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 1, 2026

ESPN commentator Malika Andrews showed Gauff the replay and asked, "Did you see where your buddy Chris Eubanks was when this happened? I assumed you were aiming for him." Gauff joked, "I mean, probably, unconsciously, for sure."

Gauff revealed that she immediately thought about how fans on social media were going to clip the video and call her the "fault queen." But she quickly reminded everyone that she tallied ten aces today, which is good for her (and anyone).

Eubanks explained how he was caught off guard by the serve. Gauff, barely containing her laughter, explained, "I was trying to go big kick, wide." To which Eubanks replied, "Obviously! Yeah, that was pretty apparent."

Coco Gauff's "Whoopsie Moment"

A whoopsie moment from Coco Gauff pic.twitter.com/i6SmPdEOqs
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 1, 2026

Gauff explained that she was really happy with her serve at the start of her post-match press conference. Also, she confirmed that her strategy was to be aggressive (including with her serve). That was an area she wanted to improve on after Roland-Garros.

Of course, serving has been a frustrating issue for Gauff. Last year, she shook up her coaching staff days before the U.S. Open to bring on biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan. Since then, Gauff's serve has slowly improved, but it has not always been linear growth.

After today's unforgettable comeback win, the WTA World No. 7 improves to 28-11 on the year. She got a lucky break with her third-round match against qualifier Claire Liu, who upset Zeynep Sönmez earlier today. Gauff will face Liu on Friday, July 3.

The 2026 Wimbledon Championships run through July 12.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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