Just three weeks ago, Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz were crowned French Open champions — and both are among the favorites again as Wimbledon begins Monday.
Alcaraz is the two-time defending champion at the All England Club — could he become the fifth man in the Open era to achieve a three-peat at Wimbledon? Or will Jannik Sinner avenge his French Open final loss to Alcaraz to win his first Grand Slam title on grass?
Gauff, meanwhile, has now won two major titles but has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. And the women’s field is wide open — the past eight Wimbledon titles have been won by different women.
Could Aryna Sabalenka win her first Wimbledon title? Or will Iga Swiatek bounce back from a difficult year to claim the crown?
And what about Novak Djokovic? Could he somehow win a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title?
Our experts weigh in on these pressing questions and more.
How will Gauff follow up her French Open title?
D’Arcy Maine: Gauff arrives at Wimbledon — where she has been as beloved as just about any player since her breakthrough at the event in 2019 — brimming with confidence and self-belief and certainly could be in a position to have her best result at the tournament.
But it’s not going to be easy. Despite her auspicious debut six years ago at the All England Club in which she reached the fourth round, she has never advanced past that point and lost in her opening-round match in her lone grass-court lead-in event in Berlin earlier this month.
And, perhaps most importantly, she is in an incredibly tough quarter of the draw and could face a number of challenging opponents, including Dayana Yastremska in the first round, potential second- and third-round meetings with former Australian Open champions Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin (who upset her at Wimbledon in 2023), grass standout Liudmila Samsonova in the fourth round and either five-time major victor Iga Swiatek or 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. So, that’s a tall order and I’m frankly exhausted just typing all of that. Gauff certainly could win all of those matches, but it seems unlikely she will win major title No. 3 during the fortnight.
Bill Connelly: Gauff is definitely to the point where it would not be a surprise if she won any single tournament — her defense and speed are always elite, as is her ability to grind out wins when things threaten to go wayward. But her draw has so many landmines, and she’s only 9-6 on grass over the past two years. In fact, even including that initial upset of Venus Williams six years ago, she’s just 7-9 all time against top-50 players on grass, including three straight losses. She’ll likely have to get past three top-50 players just to get to Rybakina or Swiatek in the quarterfinals. That sounds like a bit too much to ask.
Simon Cambers: This could go one of two ways. Either Gauff goes to Wimbledon feeling as if she can do anything, buoyed by the confidence of winning at Roland Garros, or she’ll be exhausted, mentally, and lose early. It’s a funny one, this. In some ways, she should be high on confidence after winning the French Open and there’s no doubt that she’ll be walking even taller after coming out on top in Paris.
But in another way, I feel as if she never really played her best at Roland Garros, and while that’s also her thing, doing what it takes to win even when she’s not playing great tennis, on grass, where the ball will be flashing around faster than it does on clay, she won’t have much time to get up to speed, especially if any part of her game is malfunctioning.
If she can serve well, then she’ll give herself a chance of doing well, because she moves great and competes as well as anyone. But her draw is very tough; Dayana Yastremska is no pushover first up, Sofia Kenin or Taylor Townsend might be awkward in the third round and then Daria Kasatkina in the fourth and either Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina would be ultratough in the quarters. If she can get to Week 2, she’ll be hard to beat but that won’t be easy.
If there’s another epic Alcaraz vs. Sinner clash, who will prevail?
Maine: At this stage, I’m going to have to go with recent history and take Alcaraz. He has won eight of their 12 career meetings, including the past five. Sinner hasn’t beaten Alcaraz — on any surface, in any round of any tournament — since 2023 and has defeated him only once (three years ago) with a title on the line.
Sinner is No. 1 in the world for good reason and can beat everyone else, but Alcaraz seems to be his kryptonite. For now, anyway. (But I’ll reserve my Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova comparison for a later date.) And, since Alcaraz is the two-time defending Wimbledon champion and coming off yet another grass title at Queen’s Club, and Sinner has advanced only once to the semifinals at the All England Club, it certainly feels as if the odds would be in Alcaraz’s favor again.
Connelly: Alcaraz better hope it’s him. We’ve entered a period where it feels as if he’ll be the favorite in the natural-surface Slams (French Open, Wimbledon), and Sinner will be the favorite on hard courts (US Open, Australian Open). But obviously that French Open final was as even as possible — total points: Sinner 193, Alcaraz 192 — and had Sinner won basically one more point at the right time, we’d be talking about him having a chance at a calendar-year Slam and ripping off a “Roger Federer, 2004-07” run of Slams.
Alcaraz is definitely the favorite, both because he’s far more proven on grass and because Sinner might have to get past Djokovic on what is Djokovic’s best surface and Sinner’s worst. But … Sinner seems to be figuring things out.
Cambers: Alcaraz has the pedigree on grass, having won the title in each of the past two years, even if Sinner did win their only previous battle on the surface, at Wimbledon in 2022. Everything depends on how quickly Sinner is able to get over what happened in Paris. He seems the kind of person who can compartmentalize, who can rationalize that tournament as a good one, a step forward, even if others would be crumbling after failing on three match points in a Slam final. But it’s hard to see him being at his best again just yet, especially on a surface which, in theory, can give him issues.
Alcaraz will be tired, too, but as he showed at Queen’s, when he came through a bunch of tight matches to win the title, he will improve as the tournament progresses. With a good draw early, he can ease into the event and then will strengthen as the bigger matches arrive. If they do meet again here, that means it’s the final and you’d have to give Alcaraz the edge, mentally, simply because of what happened in Paris.
Iga Swiatek messages both Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz after their titles at the French Open
Iga Swiatek failed to defend her French Open title, but she did manage to reach the semi-finals as Coco Gauff won the title.
Aryna Sabalenka thinks Swiatek has lost confidence, making the claim after winning their semi-final at Roland Garros.
Swiatek had previously won the last three French Open titles before WTA number two Gauff secured her first.
Sabalenka thinks Swiatek would have beaten Gauff had they played the final, but it was instead played out between the American and the Belarusian.
And it was Gauff who emerged victorious, coming from behind to defeat the world number one 6-7(5-7), 6-2, 6-4.
Iga Swiatek messages French Open champions Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz meanwhile won the title on the ATP Tour, defeating world number one Jannik Sinner in the French capital.
And both the Spaniard and Gauff have now received messages from Swiatek following their titles at the French Open.
She wrote on Instagram: “Thank you Paris and Roland Garros! It’s been an amazing time on and off the court with some great challenges and high-quality matches.
“I’m very proud of the work we put together with my team and I definitely also learned some lessons. Every year in Paris gives me energy boost for the rest of the season and with that being said I’m starting my preparation to the grass season very, very soon.”
“Congrats Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz for your [trophies] and guys… what an absolutely mesmerising tennis we’ve seen from both of you. Wow.”
Gauff was quick to reply to her fellow WTA star, with the 21-year-old saying to the Pole: “Thank you so much Iga [smiley face]!”
Is Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka the new Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka?
Gauff is clearly grateful for the support, which has been a common theme in women’s tennis in recent times.
There is a clear mutual respect among competitors, with that feeling particularly true of American women, who are constantly pushing each other to raise their levels.
At the same time, however, there is still a real competitiveness and many exciting rivalries are undoubtedly playing out.
Swiatek and Sabalenka was one such rivalry, with the pair having battled it out for the world number one spot and for many titles once upon a time.
But there may just be a changing of the tides on the WTA Tour, with Sabalenka and Gauff potentially the next big rivalry.
They also met in the Madrid Open final last month, where the Belarusian defeated the American in straight sets.
Rank
Player
Age
Points
1
Aryna Sabalenka
27
11,553
2
Coco Gauff
21
8,083
3
Jessica Pegula
31
6,483
4
Jasmine Paolini
29
4,805
5
Qinwen Zheng
22
4,668
6
Mirra Andreeva
18
4,636
7
Iga Swiatek
24
4,618
8
Madison Keys
30
4,484
9
Paula Badosa
27
3,684
10
Emma Navarro
24
3,649
WTA Tour top 10
Sabalenka remains top of the world rankings heading into the grass season, while Gauff is right behind her in second.
Swiatek meanwhile, a former world number one, has just dropped two places to seventh after the French Open.
Coco Gauff names LeBron James, Simone Biles and more as her inspirations outside tennis
World No. 2 Coco Gauff, who reached the 2025 French Open final, has revealed which athletes outside of tennis are her inspiration.
Lois Boisson’s profile: Who is French young tennis star? Age, height, career, ranking, partner, family and more
Novak Djokovic becomes the second oldest player to reach Roland Garros semifinals: Who holds the record?
Coco Gauff has been one of tennis’ rising stars in recent years. Already a Grand Slam winner, the American star, currently World No. 2, has made her way to the top of the WTA elite. While she has already revealed who she considers to be the GOAT of tennis, she recently opened up about which athletes inspired her outside of tennis.
“Sydney McLaughlin is someone I really like and look up to in that way,” she said of the two-time Olympic hurdler and sprinter. She also had some words for Simone Biles, who has won 11 Olympic medals.
“She just pushes herself and to me that’s crazy because in tennis we had Rafa, Roger and Novak all pushing each other, but in gymnastics, she doesn’t have anyone. So, the fact that she’s been able to move against herself. I think it is pretty cool,” she said during a press conference in Roland Garros.
Gauff also mentioned some basketball legends. “You have the obvious like LeBron, Michael and Kobe, that Mamba mentality. Those are people I look up to outside of tennis, but in tennis, it’s the usual: Serena, Rafa, Novak and Roger. The best of the best,” she added.
The 21-year-old has won nine career singles titles, including the 2023 US Open and 2024 WTA Finals, and nine doubles titles, including the 2024 French Open. With her win over Lois Boisson on Wednesday, Gauff has reached her first singles final at Roland Garros.
Gauff’s 2025 season so far: She could add her second major win in singles
Gauff opened the year with a strong performance, going unbeaten at the United Cup and leading Team USA to the title with a straight-sets win over Iga Swiatek. At the Australian Open, Gauff reached the quarterfinals before falling to Paula Badosa, ending her 13-match win streak.
While she was eliminated at the Round of 16 in both Miami and Indian Wells, she rebounded strongly on clay, reaching the finals in both Madrid and Rome with key wins over top-ranked players. Now, at Roland Garros she could add her second major win in singles, but first she will have to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.
Either way, Gauff has made history as the youngest player to reach 25 career wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis achieved the feat in 2000. Hingis was just 19 when she hit that milestone in Paris.
Rising Star Coco Gauff Shocks Tennis World with Victory over Madison Keys at Roland Garros
In a stunning turn of events at Roland Garros, young tennis sensation Coco Gauff delivered a remarkable performance, defeating World No.8 Madison Keys to secure her spot in the semi-finals. The tennis world is buzzing with excitement as Gauff continues to showcase her talent and determination on the grand stage.
Legendary tennis player Chris Evert couldn’t help but praise Gauff, hailing her as a true “fighter” for her outstanding display on the court. Gauff’s victory over a top-ranked opponent like Keys is a testament to her skill and tenacity, solidifying her reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the world of tennis.
Fans and critics alike are eagerly anticipating Gauff’s next match as she vies for a spot in the Roland Garros final. Stay tuned as this young star takes the tennis world by storm with her fearless attitude and unparalleled talent.
2025 French Open semifinals: How to watch the Coco Gauff vs. Lois Boisson match
American tennis star and No. 2 seed Coco Gauff will face the wild card, unseeded Lois Boisson in the French Open semifinals. Boisson, who is playing in her first Grand Slam tournament, defeated No. 6 Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Gauff knocked out fellow American Madison Keys in her quarterfinals match. The pair will face off after Sabalenka vs. Swiatek, which begins around 9 a.m. ET. The Gauff vs. Boisson match will likely start after 10 a.m.
In the U.S., coverage of this year’s tournament is airing on TNT and truTV, and every match will air on Max. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Gauff vs. Boisson.
How to watch Coco Gauff vs. Lois Boisson at the 2025 French Open:
Date: Thursday, June 5
Time: 10 a.m. ET
Location: Stade Roland-Garros, Paris
TV channel: TNT, truTV
Streaming: Max
When is the Gauff vs. Boisson match at the 2025 French Open?
American tennis star Coco Gauff will play wild card Lois Boisson in the women’s semifinal at the French Open on Thursday, June 5, some time after 10 a.m. ET.
2025 French Open channel:
The 2025 Roland-Garros tennis tournament, including the Gauff vs. Boisson semifinals match, will air on TNT and truTV, with all matches streaming on Max.
How to watch the French Open without cable:
Max, Disney+ and Hulu bundle (ad-free)
Get access to Disney+, Hulu and Max with this bundle. If you go ad-free ($29.99/month), you’ll save up to 38% compared to individually paying for all three services — and you’ll gain access to all French Open coverage.
If you don’t already have access to these platforms, this is a great option that really covers your bases, streaming-wise. You’ll get access to three vast libraries, fully stocked with everything Marvel, all those Disney princesses (new and old) and Hulu’s robust catalog of shows on demand the day after they air. That includes the latest episodes of Abbott Elementary, Grey’s Anatomy and more, plus the most recent seasons of The Last of Us, The Pitt and White Lotus on Max.
While Sling doesn’t offer a free trial these days, the tournament will last longer than any free trial anyway. With Sling Blue, you can get access to French Open coverage on TNT and truTV.
Sling also has an option to bundle Max in with your Sling Orange + Blue subscription and save $5 on the overall price, in case you want to watch games via Max and take advantage of all the channels offered in the Sling Orange + Blue combo package.
How to watch the French Open with a VPN:
If you want to catch every match of the French Open and don’t subscribe to Max or a live TV streaming service, in Australia, a majority of the action is streaming free with ads on 9Now, and in Austria, it’s all streaming free with ads on ServusTV.
Don’t live in either of those places? Don’t worry: You can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN (virtual private network). A VPN helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to the next F1 race without a cable package, a VPN can help. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.
ExpressVPN offers “internet without borders,” meaning you can tune into an Austrian or Australian livestream this month as opposed to paying for another streaming subscription. All you’ll need to do is sign up for ExpressVPN, change your server location and find free livestream coverage on 9Now or ServusTV.
ExpressVPN’s added protection, speed and range of location options make it an excellent choice for first-time VPN users looking to stretch their streaming abilities, plus, it’s Engadget’s top pick for the best streaming VPN. New users can save 61% when they sign up for ExpressVPN’s two-year subscription. Plus, the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
American trailblazer Coco Gauff, enjoying an unexpectedly strong clay season, is now regarded as the third favorite at Roland Garros, behind Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek. In Paris, Gauff begins her quest for the long-awaited title (she previously won Roland Garros last year in doubles alongside Kateryna Siniakova and reached the singles final in 2022) against 23-year-old Australian Olivia Gadecki. Gadecki is a competitive opponent mainly in doubles or mixed doubles, but in singles, she’s yet to advance beyond the first round at any Grand Slam outside her home turf in Australia.
Olivia Gadecki’s Journey So Far
The Australian turned pro at 17 in 2019 and has already earned her first million dollars in prize money. However, the bulk of her success—and probably earnings—come from doubles and mixed doubles. This includes her 2025 Australian Open title with seasoned compatriot John Peers, a former world No. 2 in doubles who has won the Australian Open and reached finals at hard-court Slams, and also claimed Olympic gold on clay at the 2024 Games. Yet, in singles, Gadecki has little to boast about, especially on fast hard courts or grass, let alone slow, tactical clay.
This season, Olivia reached the third round in Zaragoza, though the competition wasn’t the toughest, before falling 3-6, 3-6 in the semifinals to 19-year-old Spanish rising star Caitlin Keough-Vedo. After moving to France, at Saint-Malo she endured a tough three-setter against promising 18-year-old Afro-Canadian Victoria Mboko (6-2, 2-6, 6-3) before losing in straight sets to local favorite Elsa Jacquemot (2-6, 5-7). At the Rome 1000 event, Gadecki lost in the qualifying final to fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanović (1-6, 3-6), but entered the main draw as a lucky loser, where she put up a surprisingly strong fight against American Caroline Dolehide, eventually bowing out in three sets: 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 2-6.
Coco Gauff’s Clay Season So Far
Defying expectations, Coco has delivered a spectacular run on clay—no other way to put it. With 11 wins out of 14 matches across three tournaments, she reached the finals in Stuttgart and Rome, falling to clay specialist Jasmine Paolini, and then the final in Madrid where Aryna Sabalenka was too strong. Back-to-back finals at two WTA 1000 events is a remarkable achievement even for Gauff. She became just the seventh player ever to reach finals in both Madrid and Rome in the same season, with Rome marking her 13th WTA final overall. Notably, she earned at least two wins over top-10 opponents, including a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Iga Świątek in Madrid and an epic semifinal against China’s Qinwen Zheng in Rome that lasted three and a half hours (7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4)). In that final set, Gauff twice trailed by a break and even saved a match point on Zheng’s serve. Remarkably, this was only the third WTA 1000 semifinal in history decided by a final-set tiebreak.
Gauff remains self-critical, acknowledging there’s room for improvement, especially with her serve, which has been plagued by double faults. While on slow clay this isn’t as detrimental as on fast hard courts, it’s an area she’s keen to refine.
“In the Rome final, I planned to play more aggressively because I knew that if I stayed passive, Paolini would make me run all over the court. Regarding the double faults, yes, I need to improve my serve if I want to take the next step; it’s definitely something I have to work on. As for unforced errors, I was simply trying to attack. The court was very slow in the semifinal, making it tough to hit winners—we made mistakes, and points were won either by forcing the opponent into an error or capitalizing on their unforced mistakes. Still, I reached the finals of two tournaments—despite mistakes and maybe not playing my best—losing to two strong opponents: Sabalenka in Madrid and Paolini in Rome. There’s a lot to improve and work on, which both motivates me and boosts my confidence. If I come into Roland Garros in good shape, I believe I can have a successful run—hopefully reaching the final, and maybe on my third attempt, I’ll finally win it. But there’s a long way to go,” Gauff said.
Head-to-Head History
Olivia Gadecki and Coco Gauff have never faced each other on the WTA Tour, and there are no records of meetings in juniors either.
Match Prediction: Olivia Gadecki vs. Coco Gauff
Predicting Gauff’s early-round matches against clear underdogs is always tricky. Honestly, this one largely depends on Gauff’s mindset rather than Gadecki’s performance. Olivia can only try to keep the ball in play. If Coco is determined to finish quickly and get back to her favorite smartphone apps or a tablet series, and if she fights for every point, this match will be over swiftly. However, if Gauff eases into the tournament, adapting gradually to the court without rushing, it might resemble her Australian Open performances and possibly extend to three sets.
That said, let’s hope for the first scenario—a dominant win for the favorite with a game difference of around minus seven, projecting a scoreline near 6-2, 6-2 in Coco’s favor, or perhaps even more decisive (who knows, maybe she’ll decide to “open the bakery” like Iga Świątek).
Coco Gauff will travel a smooth road in Paris. Gauff got the best draw in the women’s bracket for the 2025 French Open, based on the average world ranking of likely opponents. The 128-player Grand Slam event gets underway on May 25.
Gauff, who recently returned to No. 2 in the world rankings, is the big name in the bottom half of the draw. She wouldn’t face any other top contenders for the title – No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, four-time champion Iga Swiatek, or 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini – until the final.
Gauff, who reached the French final in 2022, also has a relatively easy draw for the opening rounds. She starts the event against No. 93 Olivia Gadecki. Should she reach the second round, she is guaranteed to face an opponent with an even worse ranking – either No. 121 Chloe Paquet or qualifier Tereza Valentova.
Who got the easiest and toughest draws for the French Open?
The other top seed in Gauff’s eighth of the draw is No. 15 Barbora Krejcikova, who has been injured for most of 2025.
Toughest draw for a top seed
No. 5 seed Iga Swiatek’s spring string of bad news continues. Based on the average world ranking of likely opponents, Swiatek got the worst draw of any of the tournament’s single-digit seeds. Swiatek’s recent slide landed her in the same half of the draw as Sabalenka and Paolini. She likely won’t face any opponents outside of the top 50.
Swiatek’s first match is against world No. 41 Rebecca Sramkova. In Round 2, she’d face No. 42 Xinyu Wang or 43rd-ranked former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Toughest draw overall
Four-time major champion and current world No. 49 Naomi Osaka got a rotten draw for Roland Garros – the toughest in the field, based on the average world ranking of likely opponents. She opens the tournament against No. 10 seed Paula Badosa, who is coming off a semifinal appearance at the most recent Slam in Australia.
Even if Osaka pulls off the opening-round upset, she likely would not open up her section of the draw by doing so. She most likely would face no players worse in the rankings than No. 44 in subsequent rounds.
Best opportunity for an unseeded player
World No. 64 Katie Volynets is in a good position to stay in Paris through the first few rounds. She’ll face a qualifier, Joanna Garland, in the first round. Her most likely opponent in the second round is Yulia Putintseva, the event’s 32nd – and final – seeded player.
The American fell short in the final three years ago. She’s still motivated to do better
For some, reaching a Roland-Garros singles final would be a career-topping moment. For American wunderkind Coco Gauff, who admittedly underperformed during her 6-1, 6-3 loss to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 final in Court Philippe-Chatrier, the experience continues to be a prime source of motivation.
“It was a tough feeling for me, because I felt like I very much underperformed in that final,” Gauff told the press on Friday in Paris. “Not necessarily game-wise, but I was very disappointed in how I approached that match mentally. I just felt like maybe I could never overcome that.
“Then I just turned it into motivation.”
Three years – and one Grand Slam title, at the 2023 US Open – later, Gauff hopes to get another shot at the crown in Paris.
But the 21-year-old knows she isn’t the only one. With four-time champion Iga Swiatek still searching for her best tennis, opportunity is knocking for the top clay-courters on the WTA Tour. No.2-seeded Gauff, who recently reached back-to-back finals at Madrid and Rome, assesses the field with a sanguine tone.
“I would definitely think it’s pretty open,” Gauff, who recently recorded an eye-catching 6-1, 6-1 win over Swiatek in Madrid, said. “I mean, I hope that I’m up there, but there is obviously Jasmine [Paolini], Aryna [Sabalenka], Iga [Swiatek], [Zheng] Qinwen, Mirra [Andreeva]. There’s some more I can name that all have the opportunity. Who knows?”
Gauff witnessed first-hand what a true wide open Grand Slam tournament looks like when she saw then-unknown qualifier Emma Raducanu steal her way to the US Open title in 2021.
“We all have seen things like the US Open happen, when Emma won,” she said. “So there is literally anybody [who can] can win this tournament.”
If that’s the case, then pencil Gauff, who owns a 20-5 lifetime record in Paris and has reached at least the quarterfinals in each of the last four years, in for a chance.
Working in her favour is her comfort level on the surface. The American is not just at ease on the terre battue, she thrives on it. Success came at a young age on the clay for Gauff in 2018 when she became the youngest player to win the Roland-Garros girls’ title in a quarter century, at the age of 14.
“Once I got on tour, I was, like, ‘Okay. I actually feel really comfortable on this surface.’ she said. “I’ve noticed that when I would go from hard to clay it was pretty easy for me to transition to.”
Gauff says her forehand, long an area of exploitation for her opponents, is more effective on the surface, and her elite movement only adds to her invincibility on the terre battue.
“I think especially with how heavy I hit on my forehand side, I definitely think it helps enhance that,” she said. “Then obviously athleticism, I feel like it’s very hard to win on this surface if you don’t move well.”
Mirra Andreeva, a semi-finalist in Paris last year, dropped two matches to Gauff on the clay this spring. She reports that it is next to impossible to get the ball past the American.
“Coco, she’s very, very athletic,” Andreeva said on Friday in Paris. “So it’s kind of tough to finish the point playing aggressively against her, because I feel like she’s always there, and she’s always running for every ball and she always tries to put one more ball back in the court.”
As more stellar results come in, the Florida native’s confidence on clay only grows. Gauff has produced 11 victories from 14 matches on clay this spring, including four top 10 wins.
All the more reason to approach this year’s clay Grand Slam with wind in her sails.
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence with the results over the last few weeks,” she said, “but I think just putting those results in the past and focusing on the next two weeks here [is important].”
Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
Will Iga Swiatek’s reign at the French Open continue – or can one of her rivals dethrone the ‘Queen of Clay’?
The 23-year-old is the three-time defending champion in Paris and has won four of the past five titles there.
But Poland’s former world number one does not arrive at Roland Garros with her usual air of invincibility.
Swiatek has not lifted a trophy, or even made a final, since winning the French Open 12 months ago – a period during which she served a one month doping suspension.
Among the main threats to Swiatek’s bid to become the first woman to win four consecutive French Open titles are Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.
Sabalenkareplaced Swiatek as world number one towards the end of 2024, having won two of the four Grand Slams that year.
The Belarusian, runner-up at the Australian Open in January, is in imperious form. She won the Madrid Open in the build-up to Roland Garros and has won 34 of her 40 matches this season.
American Gauff, meanwhile, has not lost before the quarter-finals in her past four French Open appearances.
Runner-up three years ago, 2023 US Open champion Gauff was denied another title tilt by Swiatek in the semi-finals last year.
Who else can challenge for the title?
American world number threeJessica Pegula is chasing a first major but, after missing last year’s tournament through injury, is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals at the French Open.
Italy’s Jasmine Paolini reached two major finals in a breakout 2024 season, including losing to Swiatek in Paris, and beat Gauff to the Italian Open title in May.
History-making teenager Mirra Andreeva is also a contender. The 18-year-old Russian reached the semi-finals last year and, after becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1,000 title in February, could become the youngest woman to win a major since 2004.
China’s Zheng Qinwen, meanwhile, won Olympic gold at on the Roland Garros clay last summer and stunned Sabalenka at the Italian Open earlier in May.
Boulter leads British women
Katie Boulter is the top-ranked British woman in the singles draw but the 28-year-old has never won a match at the French Open.
However, Boulter won her first WTA Tour match on clay in Madrid last month before celebrating her first clay-court title at a WTA 125 event in Paris last week.
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu said she was beginning to “build a relationship” with clay courts while completing her French Open preparations in Strasbourg, but suffered an injury scare in her second-round exit.
Raducanu will hope to overcome any back issue quickly, having returned to the world’s top 50, reached the Italian Open fourth round and beat world number 17 Daria Kasatkina on the clay in recent months.
Fellow Britons Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage will also contest the women’s singles.
Britons Olivia Nicholls is in the women’s doubles with partner Tereza Mihalikova of Slovakia, while Harriet Dart will play alongside Australia’s Kimberley Birrell.
Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek and Gauff present as top tennis stars hold showdown talks with Grand Slam bosses
A group of top-10 WTA and ATP stars met with the chiefs of each of the four Grand Slams at Roland Garros on Thursday to discuss prize money, player welfare and giving them more say in decisions that directly impact them at the majors.
As previously reported by the Associated Press, the elite of the women’s and men’s tours, including Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, signed a letter to the four slams at the end of March, requesting an in-person meeting with the heads of the four majors to bring forth the aforementioned issues.
The meeting, which was initially meant to take place at the Madrid Open last month, finally materialised in Paris on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s start of the French Open.
Talks lasted around an hour and The National understands it was attended by Alcaraz, Sinner and Casper Ruud from the ATP Tour, and Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Gauff from the WTA Tour.
The players are seeking a greater percentage of tournament revenue, would like the slams to make financial contributions to the player welfare programmes funded by the tours, and perhaps more importantly, demand a seat at the table when it comes to some of the major decisions taken that impact competition, and their wellbeing at tournaments.
In Madrid a few weeks ago, Gauff noted the disparity between the percentage of revenue dedicated to athletes in other sports compared to tennis.
“As you know, tennis and the percentage shared in revenue isn’t nearly as close as other sports. So, I definitely think that’s something in our sport that we can do. It won’t only benefit top players, it will also benefit lower-ranked players as well,” said the American.
“In other sports, you look at the 100th best player in maybe basketball or football or soccer or anything, and the percentage that they give versus our 100th or 200th best is not great.
“So, I think for us, we kind of understood maybe the privilege and the audience that we can get as top players to kind of make that change. So, we just sent that letter, and hopefully to have the conversation get started, and hopefully how that can improve in the future.”
The majors have been increasing their prize money commitment almost every year. This year, Roland Garros is offering a total prize pot of €56.352 million, up 5.21 per cent from last year. There will be prize money increases in every round and the men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn €2.55 million.
Gauff added: “I’m very aware that we are professional athletes, and we do live a very privileged life and make money doing something that, you know, is pretty easy. Not easy, but you know what I mean. I think it’s just a very nuanced conversation.”
“I always say this, especially as a female athlete in tennis, I always say that when I look at other sports, we’re very privileged. You look at WNBA and even some of the soccer, and the money they’re getting for the amount of effort they put in is not close.
“So, I’m very lucky that tennis had pioneers like Billie Jean King and Venus Williams [who] started that conversation very early on. So, yeah, I think it’s just continuing that conversation within our sport, but also having that conversation so that other sports can reach that too.”
The fact that the women and men are coming together to raise such issues is fairly unprecedented, especially in recent tennis history.
MASON, OHIO – AUGUST 19: Iga Swiatek of Poland congratulates Coco Gauff after their match during the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 19, 2023 in Mason, Ohio. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)55
Conversations about approaching the Grand Slams started several months ago and were spearheaded by members of the WTA Player Council, according to world No 3 Pegula.
The letter sent to the majors coincided with the antitrust lawsuit filed by the PTPA, a player association co-founded by Djokovic, against the ATP and WTA tours but Pegula insists the two initiatives are completely unrelated.
“It’s totally unrelated. 100 per cent unrelated,” Pegula said in Madrid. “It’s something that we were working on seven, eight months ago. So it’s just been in the works. I don’t want to say, like, too much because it hasn’t really gone anywhere yet. It’s just started. It’s new.
“But I’ll definitely say it’s not related to what the PTPA are doing. It was honestly just a coincidence of the timing.”
Reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys was part of the early conversations sparked by the WTA Player Council. The American world No 7 believes having a seat, and a voice, at the table is will be crucial moving forward.
“We really wanted to have a more open communication with the slams and just at least know what was going on. And so that was really a big thing that we kind of started and pushed,” said Keys in the Spanish capital.
“And I feel like it’s just been years and years of finally getting it here. And I would imagine that the council at this point felt like it was a good time to bring the men in as well and have a unified voice.
“But yeah, it’s just we want some more open communication and just the ability to kind of be in the room when decisions are being made.”
While full details of what happened in the meeting are yet to be revealed, The National understands that a formal letter will be sent by the players requesting the Grand Slams commit to a timeline to start addressing their demands.
