"Coco Gauff's more comfortable than Iga Swiatek" - John McEnroe backs compatriot for Wimbledon success amid Pole's struggles on grass
John McEnroe has listed Coco Gauff as one of the women to watch out for at this year's Wimbledon. He believes the 20-year-old can take advantage of Iga Swiatek's struggles on grass.
Unlike the French Open, which Swiatek has dominated, Wimbledon has seen different women's singles winners in the past seven editions. No woman has been able to dominate the Grasscourt Slam the way the Pole has dominated in Paris in recent times.
Swiatek's struggles at Wimbledon open up a chance for more women this year, according to McEnroe. The 65-year-old listed Gauff, a Grand Slam champion, as someone who can play on grass and earn an advantage over Swiatek.
"Coco Gauff is a great player. She’s got the major (US Open title in 2023) and knows how to play on the grass. She’s more comfortable on it than Iga Swiatek is," claimed McEnroe in an interview with Metro.
"That doesn’t mean Iga isn’t going to figure something out, but she’s more vulnerable on grass than any other surface. It opens the door for some other players," he added.
McEnroe, who will be joining the BBC team this year for Wimbledon coverage, also named Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, and long-term absentee from the Grasscourt Slam Naomi Osaka as the women to watch out for.
"“Elena Rybakina, the way she plays, it suits her game more and it’s the same for Aryna Sabalenka, they are big hitters.”
It’ll be interesting to see what Naomi Osaka can do on the grass. The door is open, for sure," he said.
Top seeds Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff can only face each other if they both reach the final at Wimbledon
Top seed Iga Swiatek and second seed Coco Gauff have been placed on the opposite halves of the draw at Wimbledon. The pair can only meet if they both reach the final in London.
Swiatek faces a tricky road to the final as she starts off her tournament against 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin. Her potential opponent in the third round could be Yulia Putintseva and in the fourth round could be Jelena Ostapenko.
It gets tougher from there, as she could encounter opponents like two-time finalist Ons Jabeur and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina.
Meanwhile, Gauff faces compatriot Caroline Dolehide in the first round. She will go up against another unseeded opponent in the second round before moving on to tougher opponents like Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, and Aryna Sabalenka.
Both Swiatek and Gauff have struggled at the tournament in the past. The World No. 1's best finish in London was a quarterfinal exit last year. While Gauff has reached the fourth round twice before (2019 and 2021) and faced a shock first-round exit last year.