Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek didn’t exactly storm through the first stretch of the 2025 season. But now, with two Slams in the bag between them, they’re finding their form at just the right time. Gauff picked up her first Roland Garros title in June. Swiatek followed it up with her first Wimbledon crown in July. And as the US Open looms, their off-court rivalry is building just as fast as the one on it. Swiatek’s support team has had enough of the jabs from Coco’s former coach, Brad Gilbert. And the latest voice to enter the conversation? Swiatek’s sports psychologist.

It all started when Swiatek thrashed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final. Along the way, she took down three seeded players: 23rd seed Clara Tauson in the fourth round, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the quarters, and 13th seed Anisimova for the title. The highest-ranked opponent she faced was World No. 12.

That stat caught the eye of Brad Gilbert. The veteran coach, who helped Coco Gauff win the 2023 US Open, took to X with a cheeky observation. He wrote, “Crazy 🤪 Iga Pop tourney stat, the highest ranked player she has played this @Wimbledon Samsonova at 19 AA is ranked 12, not sure when last time someone won a slam without facing a top 10 player.”

That didn’t sit well with Swiatek’s camp. The Pole’s physiotherapist, Maciej Ryszczuk, quickly fired back with a sharp reply and wrote, “It’s so low that even you can feel the bottom. Do your research better. Winning ugly doesn’t mean commenting ugly.”

Now, on the Break Point podcast, Swiatek’s psychologist Daria Abramowicz chimed in with some shade of her own. She addressed Gauff’s current form, linking it back to Gilbert. “Sure, tenacity is very important. In a way, she’s paying homage to Brad Gilbert, with whom she worked for a time, and his ‘Winning Ugly’. So it’s definitely an important trait. When you play against someone like her, you need to be aware that no matter the score, she won’t give in,” she said.

Gilbert made the phrase “winning ugly” famous in tennis circles. He even titled his book after it. It means getting wins even when your game isn’t firing on all cylinders. That’s what Coco Gauff seems to be doing right now. The 21-year-old American pulled out a tough win in Montreal, beating former World No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova despite hitting 14 double faults. That came after she served a shocking 23 double faults in her opening match against Danielle Collins, a match that lasted nearly three hours.

So what does Coco Gauff think about winning ugly?

Coco Gauff calls serving woes “disappointing” ahead of potential Iga Swiatek clash

Despite separating from Brad Gilbert after the US Open last year, Coco Gauff’s problems have not gone away. The World No.2 specifically brought in grip specialist Matt Daly to fix her persistent serving problems, working alongside her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel. The changes initially seemed to help, but the double faults have returned.

The 23 double faults against Collins rank as the fifth-highest number in WTA history for a single match. It’s not the first time she’s hit such a number either. Gauff previously recorded 21 double faults in a match on two occasions, putting her in a tie for fifth place before this.

Gauff admitted she was frustrated with herself and said, “Obviously, I am disappointed in myself when it comes to that part of the game because I didn’t play D.C. [Citi DC Open] to work on that and made changes to that. Doing well in practice and serving really well in practice. I just would like it to transfer to the match.” Despite the shaky service games, Gauff is still grinding out wins. “It does give positives that I’m winning these matches, having literally like one part of my game on a crutch,” she said. “So it’s like if I can stand on both feet, then I can only imagine that it would be a lot more straightforward and a lot easier for me.”

Both Swiatek and Gauff are expected to be top contenders at the US Open. Swiatek has only played one match since her Wimbledon win and cruised through it. She next faces Germany’s Eva Lys. Gauff will go up against Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko. If they both make deep runs, they would face each other in the finals. Recently, the American has been on a streak against the Pole, winning three straight matches against her. It has shifted the dynamic of their rivalry, with Gauff narrowing the head-to-head to 4–11. Their potential clash in the final could be the real test for Coco Gauff. Will she steady her serve in time, or will Iga Swiatek’s calm dominance carry her through again?