"Coco Gauff's had huge pressure in her life, it must have been tough" - When Iga Swiatek empathized with American and the expectations placed on her
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek once empathized with Coco Gauff, understanding the pressure the American sensation faced due to high expectations. The Pole made these remarks during the 2022 French Open.
Swiatek advanced to the final at Roland-Garros that year after triumphing over the likes of Lesia Tsurenko, Alison Riske-Amritraj, Danka Kovinic, Zheng Qinwen, Jessica Pegula, and Daria Kasatkina.
After her victory over Kasatkina, Swiatek sat down for a press conference where she was asked about her opponent in the final: Coco Gauff. She praised the then-18-year-old and expressed sympathy for the "huge amount of pressure" Gauff faced.
"Well, for sure I'm pretty happy that she's doing well, because I think she's also had huge amount of pressure in her life, and being always like the youngest one and the one that is supposed to be the future, it must have been tough," Swiatek said.
"I'm happy that she's doing well with that, because I'm sure that it took her a lot of energy to do it properly. But, you know, I can't really judge, because I don't know what's going on there inside. You never know basically. So from what I see on court, she's developing every year basically," she added.
The four-time Grand Slam champion continued:
"When I see her, I tend to forget that she's 18, you know. She's playing really consistent. She has consistent results kind of. You can see her progressing, and I think that's the most important thing."
Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff to win her 2nd French Open title in 2022
Iga Swiatek secured her second French Open title in 2022 by defeating Coco Gauff, adding to her previous triumph in 2020.
It marked Gauff's maiden appearance in a Grand Slam final. The No. 18 seed navigated past the likes of Rebecca Marino, Alison Van Uytvanck, Kaia Kanepi, Elise Mertens, Sloane Stephens, and Martina Trevisan to reach the title bout.
Gauff would go on to win her first Major at the US Open a year later, defeating Aryna Sabalenka. That also made her the youngest American player, male or female, to secure her Home Slam, since Serena Williams in 1999.