​Coco Gauff has openly admitted that she has never enjoyed a consistently strong rapport with grass, a sentiment echoed by Marta Kostyuk, another Wimbledon semi-finalist, who described her own relationship with the surface as complicated. The same sentiment applied to Czech duo Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova, who would stand as the respective opponents of American two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff and Ukraine’s Kostyuk in Thursday’s last-four clashes, having also faced their share of difficulties on the turf. Yet this fortnight has seen all four players hit a run of form that ensures a first-time Wimbledon women’s champion will be crowned on Saturday.
Tracy Austin, the former world number one from the United States, acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the final, saying, “Coco is the only one who has won a major, but I’m not ready to declare her the favourite. It will be interesting to see how all four manage this with so much on the line.” The BBC’s coverage reflected the widespread intrigue surrounding the semi-finals, including the British wildcard Fery’s upset of Cobolli to reach the last four.
Gauff, at 22, has claimed Grand Slam titles on different surfaces—the US Open on hard courts in 2023 and the French Open on clay in 2025—but she has never approached grass with the same assurance. Her breakthrough at Wimbledon came in 2019, when, as a 15-year-old, she came through qualifying and defeated one of her idols, Venus Williams, en route to the fourth round. However, prior to this year, she had not won a grass-court match in two years. An outstanding athlete with the ability to move swiftly around the court, her footwork on grass is not always as fluid as her baseline shot preparation, and her serve has often been vulnerable to double faults. At times, her forehand has betrayed her in critical moments.
Recognising the issue, Gauff turned to biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan—who previously helped Aryna Sabalenka address her serving issues before her major-title breakthroughs—and worked on optimising her service game ahead of the US Open. “I have really honed in on my game and realised I don’t have to play a spectacular point every time to win,” she stated. “I think the breakthrough is just trusting myself. My groundstrokes are good enough to be with anyone on this surface.”
Muchova, aged 29, is also making her first Wimbledon semi-final appearance at the All England Club, having failed to win a single match here since 2021. Over the last six seasons, she has reached the semi-finals at the other three majors, but Wimbledon had seen four straight first-round exits. Muchova, renowned for her creativity and variety, has the toolkit to excel on a surface that tends to reward clever play and craft. The principal hurdle for her has been staying healthy. A wrist injury sidelined her for ten months last year, and doctors had once warned that the physio demands of tennis could be too strenuous for her body.
“I’m appreciating more that I’m here, that I can play, and that I don’t have the big issues I had in the past,” Muchova said. “I’m also happy that I can now play using my game and I’m confident in what I can do.” As the semi-finals approach, all four contenders carry a mix of doubt and belief, with the grass-court challenge adding an unpredictable edge to a tournament that has already delivered a rollercoaster of form. The outcome remains open, and fans will be keen to see which of these players can translate belief into Wimbledon glory on the weekend.