How Coco Gauff is preparing for Iga Swiatek at the French Open

PARIS — Marketa Vondrousova was bewildered after her quarterfinal loss to No. 1 Iga Swiatek. She had been caught up within the Swiatek hurricane on Courtroom Philippe-Chatrier, slipping to a 6-0, 6-2 defeat. Nonetheless, at the very least she picked up a few video games, in contrast to Swiatek’s fourth-round opponent Anastasia Potapova, who misplaced 6-0, 6-0. Afterward, Vondrousouva acknowledged what it’s like being on the incorrect finish of a Swiatek masterclass.

“Yeah, it’s totally robust. I really feel like on the courtroom you don’t have anything to supply. She’s simply too sturdy right here.”

She then summarized it: “I really feel such as you simply go loopy each level.”

So over to you, Coco Gauff. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, faces Swiatek within the semifinal on Thursday at Roland Garros. For therefore lengthy, Courtroom Philippe-Chatrier was Rafael Nadal’s area, however that baton has been handed to Swiatek. She’s received three of the previous 4 French Open titles and is the overwhelming favourite so as to add one other Suzanne-Lenglen trophy to her haul on Saturday.

Swiatek and Gauff’s historical past additionally paints a one-sided image: Swiatek has received 10 of their 11 conferences, every in straight units.

“Look, she’s clearly No. 1 on the earth, and he or she received this event, like, what, 3 times already,” Gauff mentioned Tuesday after beating Ons Jabeur. “I believe for me I am simply entering into with confidence. I imply, once I performed her in Cincinnati, I did not go into the match pondering, ‘Oh, I’ve by no means overwhelmed her earlier than, or taken a set off her.'”

That victory was August 19, 2023. Gauff discovered herself within the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open in opposition to her nemesis. She took the primary set within the tiebreak after which misplaced the second set 3-6. However within the third, she discovered a method to arm wrestle it again in her favor.

“I used to be telling myself, ‘You are a warrior and you are able to do this,”‘ she instructed the Tennis Channel after the win. “I used to be simply saying, ‘I am Coco Gauff and I can do it.'”

Three weeks later, she received her first Grand Slam in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The gang was absolutely behind her on that Saturday night in New York. That is usually the case — Gauff being a crowd favourite — however the French Open quarterfinal on Tuesday was an outlier. Followers love Jabeur right here, with a powerful Tunisian contingent within the stands supporting her. After shedding the primary set 6-4, Gauff took a restroom break. There, she heard the gang singing Tunisian songs in honor of Jabeur. It propelled Gauff. She got here out within the second set much more aggressive and captured the following two units to advance.

“If my degree would not rise, then I should lose,” Gauff mentioned on courtroom after her 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory. “I knew I needed to increase my degree. … I simply began to play extra aggressive and never letting her dictate me off the courtroom.”

When Swiatek was requested what modifications she’d seen in Gauff since their first assembly on the semifinal of the Italian Open in 2021, she pointed to her mentality.

“I believe her psychological sport is a bit bit higher, and earlier than it was, , sort of simpler to ‘crack her,'” Swiatek mentioned. “I might say, while you have been main. It is regular that she’s making progress. She’s at that age that all the things goes fairly properly [and] should you’re working arduous, then you’ll get progress. Each side of her sport is a bit bit higher, as a result of, yeah, it is totally different being a youngster on the tour after which being [a] extra mature participant.”

Gauff thought of Swiatek’s feedback throughout her information convention. “It’s one thing that I knew I had to enhance and simply be extra constructive, however I believe it simply additionally got here with maturity and realizing that I am unable to beat myself and likewise my opponent beating me,” Gauff mentioned.

There’s been a working theme of resilience for Gauff at Roland Garros, and central to that’s the thought course of she’s launched.

At changeovers, you typically see her eyes closed as she’s doing round respiration workout routines. In between matches, she makes a concerted effort to remain grounded.

“I like to put on the bottom and simply meditate, whether or not it is for actually a minute or two or 10 or 15,” Gauff mentioned after her win over Dayana Yastremska within the third spherical on Friday. “It simply sort of will depend on the day or how I really feel. I believe it helps to maintain you grounded, as a result of typically in these tournaments, the strain can really feel like loads to do loads. Typically, you simply lay on the bottom, and also you simply suppose that … there’s billions of individuals on this earth and billions of individuals do not even know who you’re. So the matches aren’t as huge as they really feel typically.”

She spends a lot of the 12 months on the highway, however used the Mouratoglou Academy in Good, France, as her base through the clay courtroom swing. She’s more likely to return there after Roland Garros, whereas she and her teaching employees will work to reset mentally, level by level. After her win over Yastremska, she spoke on courtroom about how she stays targeted attempting to shut tight video games.

“I believe typically when these moments occur and also you simply wish to end the match so quick, you possibly can let issues triple over, whereas if it is 1-all or 2-all, you lose a sport, it is not that huge of a deal,” she mentioned. ” I simply attempt to remind myself the positioning of the match. It is sort of psyching your self out. As a result of then there are occasions while you’re down a set and a break and you need to inform your self it is OK. It is simply actually psyching your self out.”

After which there are the little tweaks she’s made to her serve. “I are inclined to go down on my left facet on my serve, which causes numerous double faults. So I believe simply attempting to maintain that left facet up and simply adjusting how I toss the ball, these are the 2 most important issues.”

It may be a special Gauff that Swiatek faces on Thursday. Gauff will look again at their earlier matches right here — shedding the ultimate in 2022 and quarterfinal in 2023 — and attempt to clear up the place she went incorrect. On Wednesday night, she’s going to sit down along with her workforce and talk about techniques.

“I positively suppose I’ve to discover a higher method to play her than the final instances I performed on clay,” Gauff mentioned Tuesday. “I believe she’s enjoying nice tennis right here, so it should be a problem, however I am going to enter the match with numerous perception that I can [win].”

She will even want her youngest brother Cameron a contented birthday. She’s sorted the presents and hopes they’ll have time to speak on the cellphone in-between his Fortnite periods.

After which on Thursday within the buildup to the semifinal it’s going to be the same old playlist. Christian gospel music for the warmup.

“Typically once I’m nervous it helps me relax,” she mentioned.

After which, as she put it final week, it is time to get “hyped.”

“J. Cole, Lil Child, Drake, Kendrick, all of them. Who else? Yeah, Eminem. Principally any rapper you possibly can consider might be on that playlist.”

She’s going to go on the courtroom ignoring previous historical past and people matches Swiatek has dictated. Gauff additionally will attempt to be as resilient as ever.

“I am unable to consider previous gamers. Potapova is not me,” Gauff mentioned. “I am not Vondrousova. It doesn’t suggest something. Perhaps I might lose with the identical rating, possibly not, however I am simply going to go in and simply attempt to win. I’ve nothing to lose. All of the strain is on her, so yeah.”