‘Pressure is a privilege’ when it comes to the American tennis star, Coco Gauff. She made her WTA Tour debut at the age of 15 and a few months later she not only became the youngest player in Wimbledon’s history to qualify for the main draw but also defeated the five-time champion, Venus Williams in the first round in straight sets. Then four years later, Gauff became the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999. Almost three years, ago during an interview, she said, “I felt like for the longest (time), the pressure was there. … I felt like I was just denying that it was getting to me. And then, I reached a point where I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m feeling pressure, and I should accept the pressure.’ Pressure is a privilege. And I’m glad that people expect things from me.” From 30,000 followers on social media to 500,000 overnight, Gauff has seen it all! But she claims her parents have taught her how to stay calm in these moments. It has been almost two years since she last won a major title, is there any pressure lingering in her mind ahead of the French Open?

In 2022, Coco Gauff came inches closer to lifting the title at the French Open, but Iga Swiatek defeated her 6-1,6-3 in the final. After the match, she sat down on her chair and broke down in tears. Later on, she said, “This is a first time for me so I’ll try to get through this.” Even recently, while recalling that moment, she spoke about how badly she wanted to win her first major title on the Parisian clay at that time. “I was very anxious, not wanting to disappoint people. I think I put too much pressure on myself not swinging through on any of those shots. It was a heartbreaking match. It felt like seeing your dreams kind of snatched away.“

Last year, she was yet again defeated by Iga Swiatek in the SF by straight sets (6-2,6-4). However, looking at her performances on clay this season after having already reached the finals in Madrid and Rome, her fans look quite optimistic about her chances this year. In the first Slam of the season, Gauff was knocked out in the QF by Paula Badosa. How is she going to approach her campaign this time? Replying to a similar question at the Roland Garros, Gauff said, “Yeah I mean I felt like in Australia, I was playing great tennis and then I just had played Paula who was also playing great tennis, you know. I think my mindset going into this tournament. I didn’t feel that pressure really going into Australia. I was playing pretty free and I don’t really feel that here.“

Coco Gauff further added, “I think I’ve learned, I’ve a feel like I know that it’s a long way to the final after experiencing here and the US Open. I know it’s a long way. So year, I think just taking it match by match, point by point and you know hopefully I can end up there. If not, I’ll go back to the practice and figure out what I can do to do better.“

Gauff is considered one of the favorites to capture the women’s singles French Open title this year. She is in a title drought this season and the 21-year-old American is yet to capture her first title of the 2025 season. Her last title triumph came way back in November when she won the WTA Finals. She’s quite “proud” of how she has performed so far on this surface, but how optimistic is she with her chances this time and also, who will be her probable opponents on her road to the final in Roland Garros?

Coco Gauff’s probable opponents at the 2025 French Open

Iga Swiatek has been Coco Gauff‘s biggest hurdle at the French Open. She has an H2H record of 4-11 against the Pole, but Gauff has won their previous three matches. Is there a chance of her facing her before the final? Well, if we take a look at her draw, Coco Gauff will start her campaign against Australia’s Olivia Gadecki, and if she wins this match then she could face, Chlore Paquet (FRA) in the next round. Following that, there is a possibility of her facing Anna Kalinskaya in the third round and then Barbora Krejcikova (2021 French Open champion) in the fourth round.

In the QFs, her probable opponents could be either Emma Navarro or Madison Keys (2025 AO champion). Both these players have been in good form this season, and if somehow Gauff manages to overcome this hurdle, then in SF, she could face either Mirra Andreeva or Jessica Pegula. So, there is no chance of her facing either Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka before the final. What does Coco Gauff have to say about this draw and who are her top pick for this tournament?

“I think everybody is playing some great tennis, it’s definitely pretty open. Obviously, I hope I’m up there, but there’s Jasmine [Paolini], Aryna [Sabalenka], Iga [Swiatek], Qinwen [Zheng], Mirra [Andreeva], there are more I can name that all have the opportunity. Who knows, we’ve all seen things like the US Open when Emma [Raducanu] won, so literally anybody can win this tournament.” She believes this is something that makes women’s tennis more interesting because each matchup is “equally exciting“. Talking about optimism after making it to two finals on clay recently all she now hopes is that perhaps, the “third time is a charm“. Do you think Gauff can win the French Open this year?