Coco Gauff calls Indian Wells WTA Finals venue feel ‘weird

Coco Gauff begins her 2026 WTA Finals campaign on Sunday, November 8, against fellow American Jessica Pegula in Indian Wells, California, in a season-ending tournament she has now qualified for five consecutive years at age 22. The world No. 4 will then close her year at home in the United States, representing the USA in the Billie Jean King Cup tie against Hungary in Delray Beach, Florida.

Indian Wells hosts the Finals for one year only

The 2026 WTA Finals were originally set for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but after that contract ended abruptly, Indian Wells stepped in to host the tournament for one year before Charlotte, North Carolina, takes over from 2027 to 2029. Indian Wells is normally the site of one of the biggest ATP/WTA 1000 tournaments outside the four Grand Slams each March, but this November it holds only eight singles players and eight doubles teams. Gauff admitted the emptier venue felt “weird,” but in a good way. “Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely weird being here, finding a table to sit in players dining, just having a lot more space. It feels nice,” she said in her pre-tournament press conference. She has never won a title in Indian Wells; her best result there came in 2024, when she reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event.

Gauff’s 2026 season: one title, two Grand Slam semifinals

Gauff endured a mixed 2026 season. She won her fourth WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open but failed to add to her Grand Slam tally, reaching the semifinals at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Her season in numbers included: a 47-15 win-loss record, one title, and a number of come-from-behind wins tied with Pegula for the most on the WTA Tour. Twelve months after hiring biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, Gauff arrived in New York with a much-improved serve that helped her reach the US Open semifinals, and 2026 was framed as the year she turned her biggest weakness into a viable weapon. She left the Top 5 only briefly after the clay-court swing and returned following the Wimbledon semifinal.

Five consecutive Finals appearances at 22

Gauff is a former WTA Finals champion, having won the 2024 title in Riyadh by defeating Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2). Her Finals history also includes a semifinal run in Cancun in 2023 and group-stage exits in Fort Worth in 2022 and Riyadh in 2025, when she won only one of her three round-robin matches and left with a 7-8 overall win-loss record at the tournament. Still, qualifying five years in a row is an accomplishment she now recognizes. “I’m usually a focus on ‘what’s next’ type of person, but definitely here five times in a row is definitely something to be proud of because consistently being amongst the top eight players of the world for some time now,” she said. “I think sometimes when you’re in it, you don’t really realize how big of a deal it is. There’s moments when you look at the photos and stuff, you are just like, wow, I’m here. I grew up watching the tournament.”

Gauff’s toughest group rivals and head-to-head struggles

Gauff landed in a round-robin group alongside world number one and defending champion Elena Rybakina, Pegula, and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. Her head-to-head record with Pegula stands at 5-5, and Gauff has won their last two meetings — the Wimbledon quarterfinal and the Cincinnati Open final, where she claimed her fourth WTA 1000 title. Gauff commented on how familiarity complicates the rivalry: “When you have played so many times against someone, everything becomes much more complicated. We know each other’s games, and tennis is already a very mental sport.”

Gauff adapts Alcaraz’s training method after injury

Before arriving in Indian Wells, Gauff prepared with a drill inspired by Carlos Alcaraz: she cut a portion out of her racket frame and placed tennis balls on top of poles, swinging through the gap. Alcaraz used the same exercise earlier in 2026 while returning from a wrist injury. Gauff said her fitness coach Fabian introduced the drill, which initially frustrated her because she kept hitting the pole. Her mind changed when Alcaraz messaged her after she posted video of the session. “He said he was messing up in the beginning a lot first, too, so that made me feel better about myself,” Gauff said. “My team was like, ‘If Carlos can do it, you can do it.’ I’m like, ‘He’s Carlos and I’m me.’ He doesn’t post his bloopers.”

What comes after Indian Wells

After the WTA Finals, Gauff will play the Billie Jean King Cup tie against Hungary in Delray Beach, then enjoy Thanksgiving at home before starting preseason training aimed at 2027. “Kind of treating it like the off-season for a little bit, then a little bit of a pre-season, too, just because right after this I have BJK Cup, then it’s Thanksgiving, then it’s time to start for pre-season again,” she said. “Just trying to think I’m fresh for 2027.” A second WTA Finals title would make Gauff only the second active player, alongside Serena Williams, to win the year-end tournament multiple times — an achievement that would come before her 23rd birthday.

Clarifies 2026 WTA Finals location and Gauff’s matchups

Why is the WTA Finals in Indian Wells in 2026? The tournament was contracted for Riyadh, but that deal ended abruptly, and Indian Wells agreed to host for one year only. Charlotte, North Carolina, will host from 2027 through 2029.

What is Coco Gauff’s win-loss record at the WTA Finals? She holds a 7-8 overall record at the tournament, including the 2024 title in Riyadh and group-stage exits in 2022 and 2025.

When and against whom does Gauff play her first match? She opens against Jessica Pegula on Sunday, November 8, in a group that also includes Elena Rybakina and Linda Noskova.

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