The French Open organizers faced a nightmare on Tuesday when they published the next day’s schedule, and then, within a few hours later one of the players in the prime-time night session match had to withdraw from his match. Seeing Hugo Gaston pulling out of the draw at the very last moment, the tournament was forced to scramble and replace them. The schedules at the French Open have been a hot topic of discussion recently. There have been a few complaints about the lack of women’s matches being scheduled for the night session at Roland Garros. Last year, while discussing this topic, defending champion Iga Swiatek claimed she doesn’t care about it because she loves to put her focus solely on her matches. Even this year, when asked a similar question, she came up with a similar reply. But what does America’s Coco Gauff have to say on this?

If we take a look at Iga Swiatek’s reply, she said, “Every year we talk about it. My position didn’t change. I like playing day. So I’m happy I’m done and can have a longer rest. On the other hand, people just try to look for, like, not even things between men and women. You can find that in the schedule a bit and you can ask us all the time. Honestly, my answers are not gonna change. I don’t mind.” Having said that, she also mentioned that she completely understands players having different preferences, but these things don’t matter to her much.

Recently, when Coco Gauff was asked to share her thoughts on the same, she said, “To be honest, prove me wrong, but I don’t think any girl wants to play after the 8:15 match.” Having said that, she further went on to add, “I think there is a unique topic because there is only one slot at 8:15. To be honest, I don’t think any girl.. I mean, prove me wrong, but I don’t think anyone wants to play after the 8:15 match.”

“I don’t know what the other girls would think, but I think most people would rather play before that. Maybe there’s a chance to put someone at 6:30 or 7:00. I think if there is only gonna be one match at 8:15, maybe there could be a women’s match. But if they wanna start the night session at 8:15, I’m sure most girls on tour would rather not play after a men’s match and have to go on at 11:00 or 12:00. I think it’s just tournament to tournament. This tournament, this seems to me what they want. But most tournaments do have two matches, one starting at 7:00 and one afterwards. I can’t really complain. I think it’s just up to the tournament, honestly.”

Amid all this buzz surrounding the schedule at the French Open, both Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek have gotten off to a winning start at the 2025 French Open. Gauff defeated Australia’s Olivia Gadecki in the first-round clash by 6-2,6-2 in just over an hour. With this incredible win, she has now got a 6-0 record in the opening matches at the French Open. What did the American have to say about this match, though?

Reacting to this winning start, Coco Gauff spoke about her nervous moments ahead of her first match at the 2025 French Open. In fact, she was so deeply engrossed in this match that she had also forgotten to bring her rackets onto the court. Fans inside the stadium burst out in laughter, seeing that hilarious moment featuring the American.

Talking about this match in particular, Gauff said, “I knew the conditions were going to be difficult. It’s kind of one of those matches I went into knowing it wasn’t going to be pretty tennis all the time. I think it just, with that mindset going in, it just makes you feel better necessarily when you aren’t winning the points the way you kind of want to.” 

On the other hand, the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, also got off to a winning start. She defeated Rebecca Sramskova in her first-round match by 6-3, 6-3. With this win, she has now extended her winning run at Roland Garros to 22 matches. The Pole is now all set to face Emma Raducanu in her next match. Swiatek has a 4-0 record against Raducanu, but still, she’s a bit cautious ahead of this battle against the 2021 US Open champion.

Speaking about the Brit, Swiatek said, “Well, you know, everybody has a different path and different changes. But for sure, she’s a great player and has a great forehand. She can use her topspin pretty well. So, we already played a couple of times, and we know each other’s games. For sure, I will need to be intense and focus on myself. She won the US Open. She can play great tennis, and I’ll be ready.” Iga Swiatek hasn’t been in great form this season. Before this tournament, she faced an early exit from the Italian Open. Owing to her poor form, she has now dropped to number 5 in the rankings. But does Coco Gauff consider the Polish superstar as a favorite at the French Open?

Coco Gauff is not taking Iga Swiatek lightly at the French Open

Swiatek has won five Grand Slam titles in her career, and four out of them have come at this tournament. However, having said that, Iga Swiatek has failed to win a title since the 2024 French Open, and in fact, she hasn’t reached a WTA Tour-level final since the 2024 WTA Finals. Looking at her poor run of form, tennis legend Chris Evert said, she is a bit concerned about the Pole, and she stated, “I just don’t know if she can find her A game (at the French Open).“

Just before this tournament, even Iga Swiatek also claimed that she had realized that she had been “doing something wrong” and at this moment it’d be “stupid to expect a lot” at the Roland Garros. However, despite having won her last three matches against the Pole, Gauff is well aware of the threat Swiatek poses on this surface.

Interesting Fact: Coco Gauff has a 4-11 record against Iga Swiatek. She recently defeated her in the SF of the Madrid Open by 6-1,6-1.

However, despite having those wins, Gauff claims, “When you’re playing someone like Iga, at any moment she can come back and play great tennis. So for me, it was just making sure my level stayed the same..Yeah, I mean, I think for sure it changes some things when you maybe see someone who won Roland Garros that many times not having the best results. Women’s tennis is two-out-of-three sets. It’s not, like, a big difference for (indiscernible). I think it definitely gives players a lot of confidence when they come to face her.”

She also added, “You also have to respect that she’s a four-time champion at Roland Garros. I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they’re in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again. If I were to play her at the French Open, I would throw away the results in Madrid, not even think about it, expect her to play her best tennis.” 

Recently, during a conversation on TNT Sports, American legend John McEnroe also hailed Iga Swiatek as the “greatest clay-court player” in the women’s game. “I’m surprised that she hasn’t won any tournaments since the French (2024 Roland Garros), especially on clay. So something’s not right there. That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t still call her. If I had to say who’s the favorite. I’d still pick her,” said McEnroe. Do you think, despite her poor form, Swiatek is still a favorite at the 2025 French Open?