Paris Olympics: Coco Gauff’s Kryptonite Iga Swiatek’s Confidence Might Just Kill the American Debutant’s Dream

Iga Swiatek seems to be quite confident about her run at the Paris Olympics. The current season has demanded a sandwich transition in surfaces. While the grass court season began soon after the Pole’s massive win at Roland Garros, she has no doubts about getting back to the red dirt once again. The denial of top competitors made it seem easier for Coco Gauff to secure a medal but Swiatek’s rock-solid confidence posed a challenge as she said “going back to clay will not be a problem.”

After players like Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, and others said no to their entry at the Paris Olympics, Iga Swiatek made it all seem like child’s play. In a recent interview, the Pole mentioned how the transition sandwich is not at all an issue for her. “It would be more challenging if it was grass 1st, clay in the middle and grass again. Going back to clay will not be a problem for me. When I go back to clay after a whole year, it only takes two days and I feel great,” she said, proving her status as the queen of clay.

Although it seems to be a positive update for Iga Swiatek fans, Coco Gauff needs to take it as a big challenge. Looking back to the young American’s singles run for the Roland Garros title, it was the Pole who hindered her journey, adding an 11th victory to her massive lead in their head-to-head stats.

As Gauff mentioned earlier “Olympics is a top priority” for her. She further added, “I would say equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below just because I’ve never played before. This is my first time. Obviously, I always want to do well, try to get a medal.”

While Coco Gauff stands with just one victory over her rival, it is evident that she would have to double her preparations in order to make the Olympic dream come true. As her regular doubles partner Jessica Pegula is set to hold the court alongside, there could be a possibility of another achievement.

Coco Gauff gets back to her doubles partner before Olympics

The fans were surprised to see Coco Gauff pairing up with a new doubles partner at Roland Garros. Although her chemistry with Katrina Siniakova proved to be quite productive, Gauff still decided to be back where she belongs. Her doubles journey with Jessica Pegula has been quite fruitful. As both of them have decided to represent their nation together in Paris, the 30-year-old seems to be highly excited.

“You don’t usually see a lot of players playing, but for us I think we enjoy it. To us it’s kind of fun that we get to go out and even if we lose singles or whatever happens, go out and it’s another chance to compete,” Pegula said in a recent interview.

Coco Gauff is currently carrying the baton of expectations of her nation. While she has Iga Swiatek as a major hurdle waiting to tumble her down, it remains to be seen if the young champ will be able to turn the odds this time.