Breaking News: Tennis player Coco Gauff threatens fellow player Iga Swiatek with violence for the second time ahead of Wimbledon due to…
Greg Rusedski thinks Wimbledon might be a great chance for Coco Gauff to turn the page in her rivalry against Iga Swiatek as the 1997 US Open runner-up has the 20-year-old American as one of the title favorites at The Championships but not the current world No. 1.
On her way to sealing an already her fourth French Open title, Swiatek ousted Gauff 6-2 6-4 in the semifinal as the 23-year-old Pole now has five Grand Slam titles in her collection. But for Gauff, not winning her first French Open title wasn’t the only negative thing about her run at this year’s Roland Garros as losing again easily to Swiatek remains a big concern – the American tennis star has just one win in 12 matches against the Pole.
However, former world No. 4 Rusedski believes that if Gauff meets Swiatek at Wimbledon, it will be a completely different situation for both players since the American is working with Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick’s ex-coach Brad Gilbert, while her game is also more natural to grass than Swiatek’s.
Rusedski explains why Wimbledon could be Gauff’s chance against Swiatek
When Wimbledon starts, Gauff will arrive in great form and with matches under her belt, having reached the final at this week’s WTA 500 tournament in Berlin. On the other side, Swiatek will only have practice after pulling out of Berlin and not taking a wildcard into any of next week’s grass events.
“Well I think, if you look at her (Swiatek), she’s won four French Opens, one US Open,” Rusedski said on Tennis Channel’s Inside-In.
“For Coco, let’s be honest, grass against Iga, she’s licking her lips. She’s thinking, ‘That’s my time to start squaring up this rivalry’. She came to the forefront when she beat Venus Williams and announced herself to the world and the British public at Wimbledon [in 2019].
“And I think Brad Gilbert has done a great job with her, and I think they’re probably saying, ‘Okay, semis [at the French Open] is solid, we didn’t play our best in the semis. But now we got Wimbledon coming on, this is our one after winning the US Open last year.’
“So I think the rivalry will be there, but on clay (Swiatek), it’s like watching Rafa. We’ve got [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, [Andy] Murray, [Stan] Wawrinka, all those guys. I’m sorry, it’s just, that’s what Swiatek is now.
“I’m hoping that Coco can bring her A-game to Wimbledon this year and has got a real shot to win. Let’s not forget [Aryna] Sabalenka got ill this year at the French.
“And there’s a few other names, there’s [Elena] Rybakina and players like that on the grass courts. So Wimbledon’s wide open. And you’re talking about Wimbledon coming up — Swiatek is not one of the favorites for the title.”
Gauff’s confession after her latest defeat to Swiatek
After getting bounced in straight sets in each of her first seven matches against Swiatek, Gauff earned a three-set win over the world No. 1 on the hard courts of Cincinnati last year. But since then, the 23-year-old Pole has had four straight-set wins over the 20-year-old.
Before taking on Swiatek in the French Open semifinal, Gauff said she believed that she could do it. And when the match started, the American was going for her shots and was looking very aggressive out there. But unfortunately for her, the new five-time Grand Slam champion tamed her game and again clinched a routine win.
After the match, Gauff – who just turned 20 in March – admitted that she would like to find a winning formula against Swiatek and stop the Pole’s dominance in their meetings.
“I can’t sit here and say it’s something I’m not going to want to turn around. I have to be positive and believe in myself. Today I felt very confident going into the match. I know that there are things that I can improve to make this a closer scoreline,” Gauff said.
“Like, first-serve percentage was pretty low, I think. From Rome to this week I improved a lot on my serve. Even though it’s not where I want it to be, but going from, like, 15 double faults to maybe three or four today, I don’t know, it’s a big improvement.
“I don’t feel like my game is all the way developed yet. I feel like when I reach my peak, then I can maybe answer the question, but I don’t think I’m there yet.”
Since Gauff is the new world No. 2, she will enter Wimbledon as the second seed so meeting Swiatek could possibly only come in the final.
READ NEXT…
Alcaraz Could Be Without Ferrero At Olympics Because Of Coaching Rule
by Nurein Ahmed
Carlos Alcaraz will be playing in his first Olympics next month but could be without his influential and vocal coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in his corner.
Ferrero is a massive pillar of Alcaraz’s coaching team. He nurtured and honed his skills from a young age. The 21-year-old even regards him as a father figure in his professional career.
At this year’s Roland Garros, Alcaraz reiterated Ferrero’s importance after beating Sebastian Korda. He confessed to reporters following the win that he “needs” the 44-year-old by his side on a match court to receive coaching instructions.
On-court coaching in tennis is allowed, but it is restricted to hand signals, quick-noted instructions, and discussions, although not to the extent of striking a long dialogue.
Players who abuse the coaching rule can find themselves on the wrong side of the rulebook, as Stefanos Tsitsipas recently found out while competing at the French Open.
For Alcaraz, this is probably his guilty habit because he’s been frank about it multiple times during his Roland Garros success earlier this month. Ferrero is the heartbeat of his team, and the three-time Grand Slam champion relies on every word he utters because he runs out of ideas regularly on the court.
Alcaraz Reveals Coach Ferrero Set To Join Him Prior To Wimbledon After Queen’s Absence
Saturday, 22 June 2024
However, According to section K of the regulations published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in accordance with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), coaching is strictly prohibited at the Olympics, and any player guilty of breaching this rule will be fined up to $20,000 and potentially even result in default.
“Players shall not receive coaching during a match. Communications of any kind, audible or visible, between a player and a Team Member may be construed as coaching.”
“Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $20,000 for each violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match, the player shall be penalized in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule.”
“In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of the Olympic Tennis Event, or are singularly egregious, the Referee may order the Team Member to be removed from the Olympic Tennis Event site and upon their failure to comply with such order may declare an immediate default of such player.”
Alcaraz, who will compete in singles and doubles at the Olympics, played his most recent tournament at Queen’s without Ferrero and lost in the second round of the tournament. He confirmed that the former World No. 1 will be back in the hot seat at Wimbledon.
Leave a Reply