Coco Gauff makes feelings clear on Iga Swiatek’s hopes of winning the French Open
Coco Gauff has weighed in on Iga Swiatek’s prospects at the 2025 French Open amid the Polish star’s struggles for form.
Swiatek has not reached a final since winning her fourth Roland Garros title in June last year, and she has suffered some chastening defeats during the 2025 clay season.
The five-time Grand Slam champion saw her Italian Open title defence end with a 1-6, 5-7 third round loss to Danielle Collins.
Gauff dismantled Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open — her third straight win against the Pole. Swiatek also fell to Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart quarter-finals.
After beating Emma Raducanu in Rome, Gauff was asked about the impact of her dominant win against Swiatek in Madrid.
“Yeah, I mean, I think for sure it changes some things when you maybe see someone who won Roland Garros that many times not having the best results,” the 21-year-old said in her press conference.
“Women’s tennis is two-out-of-three sets. It’s not, like, a big difference for… I think it definitely gives players a lot of confidence when they come to face her.
“You also have to respect that she’s a four-time champion at Roland Garros. I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they’re in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again.
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“If I were to play her at French Open, I would throw away the results in Madrid, not even think about it, expect her to play her best tennis.”
The 2023 US Open champion was also asked to compared the transition from Madrid to Rome with going from Indian Wells to Miami.
“That’s a good question. This is my first year really feeling it because I always lost early in Madrid, so I always had a lot more time,” Gauff said
“I think this might be a little bit harder just ’cause, I don’t know, even though it’s the same ball, same surface, it’s just a little bit heavier.
“The only reason why is because I’m from Florida. It’s kind of like my base conditions, so it doesn’t take me much to adjust from it. Obviously going from Florida to Indian Wells is a bit tougher because of the thinness of the air, the ball flies a little bit more.
“Going from Indian Wells to Miami, it’s not really difficult just because I’m used to playing in Florida. Here, it being my first year kind of having that quicker transition, it’s a little bit tougher.”
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