"No good or bad draw" - Boris Becker disagrees with assessment about Coco Gauff getting an easier draw than Iga Swiatek at Paris Olympics 2024
Boris Becker disagreed with journalist Jose Morgado's opinion that Iga Swiatek was put on the tough side of the singles' draw while Coco Gauff was given an easier matchup at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Swiatek will begin her campaign against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, meanwhile, Gauff faces Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round.
Iga Swiatek enters the Paris Olympics singles competition as the No. 1 seed. Another reason she could be a favorite is her 2024 French Open triumph held at Roland Garros, where the Olympic tennis matches will take place. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff will be making her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 20-year-old will also lead Team USA in the marquee event.
The draws for the women's and men's tennis competition at the 2024 Summer Games were unveiled on Thursday. Journalist Jose Morgado opined on X (formerly Twitter) that Swiatek's campaign could be a "nightmare" as she might face tough opponents such as Diana Shnaider or Linda Noskova in the third round, Jelena Ostapenko or Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals and Elina Rybakina in the semifinals.
Moreover, Morgado believed that the No. 2 seed, Coco Gauff was given a relatively easy draw.
"Men's draw looks balanced. Iga got a very tough draw... Noskova/Shnaider R3, Penko/Collins QFs, Rybakina SFs. An absolute nightmare... if this wasn't Roland Garros and clay. Gauff with a dream draw," Morgado wrote.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker later disagreed with Morgado's views, writing that there is no inherently good or bad draw. Becker believed that the difficulty depends on a player's mindset and performance.
"The draw is what you make of it … There is no good or bad draw !" Becker wrote.
This will be Iga Swiatek's second appearance at the Olympics. The 23-year-old was eliminated by Spain's Paula Badosa in the second round at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Iga Swiatek will miss the mixed doubles competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Coco Gauff to play in all the categories
Iga Swiatek is set to miss the mixed doubles competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This is because the International Tennis Federation denied the main draw wildcard entry to Swiatek and Jan Zielinski. The news was recently shared by Polish journalist Dominik Senkowski on X.
"Yesterday, the Polish Tennis Association applied to the International Tennis Federation for a wild card for the pair of Iga Świątek - Jan Zieliński to the mixed doubles tournament at the Olympics. The federation rejected the application, citing the regulations, but without specific justification," Senkowski wrote ( Translated form Polish).
Huber Hurckaz was going to be Swiatek's partner in the mixed doubles category before Zielinski. However, the 27-year-old withdrew from the Summer Games as he was unable to recover from the knee injury he sustained during his campaign at Wimbledon 2024. Nevertheless, Iga Swiatek will be aiming for her first Olympic medal in the singles competition.
Gauff on the other hand, will partner with the World No. 11 Taylor Fritz for the mixed doubles event at the Olympics. She will play women's doubles alongside Jessica Pegula.