Coco Gauff cautious about Iga Swiatek’s form ahead of French Open

Iga Swiatek suffered a surprising third-round exit at the Italian Open, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Danielle Collins in straight sets. It’s another missed chance for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who has yet to win a title this season.

However, Coco Gauff, who cruised past Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in Madrid before finishing runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka, isn’t reading too much into her rival’s dip in form, especially ahead of the upcoming French Open.

“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,” she said. “But 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.”

“If I were to play her at the French Open, I would throw away the results in Madrid, not even think about it, expect her to play her best tennis,” added Gauff, who is now set to become World No. 2.

Just last week, Swiatek managed only two games in a heavy semi-final loss to Gauff in Madrid. Meanwhile, Rome is the first tournament this season in which she doesn’t reach at least the quarterfinals.

Swiatek’s ranking takes a hit

By failing to defend her 1,000 points from last year’s title in Rome, Swiatek drops 935 points and currently sits at No. 4 in the live WTA rankings. The slide could have major implications at Roland Garros, where she may face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka as early as the semi-finals.

Despite arriving in Paris as the three-time defending champion, Swiatek will need to quickly reset if she hopes to make another deep run. A fourth straight title would make history, but with Sabalenka and Gauff both surging, the path is anything but certain.