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].”
