No pressure as Coco returns to grass

COCO GAUFF will today play her first match on grass since her “life-changing” run at Wimbledon.

The American, then 15, made a stunning debut at the All England Club in 2019 when she came through qualifying to beat Venus Williams and reach the fourth round.

She is now back at a career-high world ranking of No.23 and a contender for the Wimbledon title at 17, and will warm up at the Viking International Eastbourne.

“As a player I have grown mentally and tactically,” Gauff, right, said. “Wimbledon does feel so long ago. It’s just crazy. People might expect me to feel pressure going into it, but I don’t really.

“I want to do better than when I first went there but it was the start of everything. It definitely helped me as a player and a person – it changed my life for the better.” Gauff, who faces Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the first round at Eastbourne, added: “I have played on grass zero times before I came here last week but being back here definitely inspires me.”

Meanwhile, Tunisian Ons Jabeur became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title when she beat Russia’s Daria Kasatkina 7-5 6-4 at the Viking Classic in Birmingham.