“If you are Iga or Aryna, you don’t want her in your side of the draw,” Alex Corretja warns top players of Coco Gauff before Roland Garros 2024

Despite her trophyless run on the red dirt this season, Corretja believes the 2023 US Open champion can upset the two top players. 

“If you are Iga or Aryna, you don’t want her in your side of the draw,” Alex Corretja warns top players of Coco Gauff before Roland Garros 2024

Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka (Images via Imago)

Former Spanish player Alex Corretja thinks the top players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka need to be wary of Coco Gauff. Roland Garros qualifiers have started and soon, one will see these star women players begin their search for the coveted trophy. 

Both Swiatek and Sabalenka are two of the most in-form players, as they locked horns in the finals in the tournaments preceding the French Open. They played in the Madrid Open final and in the championship match of the Italian Open, with Swiatek winning both times. 

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Gauff, on the other hand, achieved her best on clay so far by reaching the Italian Open semifinal, which she lost to Swiatek. Despite her trophyless run on the red dirt, Corretja believes the 2023 US Open champion can upset the two top players. 

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When she gets confidence in herself, it's very important, and she's someone who knows already what she needs to do to play well in the big events, and at such a young age, this is so difficult. If you are Iga or Aryna, I don't think you would like to see her on the side of the draw that is in the semi-finals for you because, you know, it's such a tough match you need to play before the final.
Alex Corretja told Eurosport

Gauff is a former finalist at Roland Garros, having reached the summit clash in 2022 only to lose to Swiatek, who lifted her second title there with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-3. 

Coco Gauff’s head-to-head record against Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka

Coco Gauff is undoubtedly a young sensation and many expect her to achieve greatness in the future. She lifted her first Grand Slam title last year at the US Open and is searching for her second title of the season after her win at the ASB Classic this January. 

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (Image via Imago)

Her record against Iga Swiatek, however, has not been satisfactory at all. In the 11 matches they played, the 20-year-old American has racked up a victory just once, in the 2023 Cincinnati Open semifinal. Their last encounter was in the Italian Open semifinal where the Pole secured her 10th victory.

On the other hand, Gauff leads the head-to-head record against Aryna Sabalenka 4-3. They last met in the 2024 Australian Open semifinal, which the Belarusian won before clinching the title by beating Qinwen Zheng in the final. 

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