Three years ago, after succumbing to a heavy loss at the Roland Garros, Coco Gauff said, “Every time I thought I hit a good ball, it wasn’t.” Playing against former World No.1 Iga Swiatek, the American couldn’t complete her dream of clinching a maiden slam. In the final, the Polish star simply dominated her with a brutal score line of 6-1, 6-3. But guess what? Gauff didn’t let this setback deter her mission of capturing a major. Well, the young tennis sensation eventually used the loss against Swiatek as an inspiration. Result? Just a year later, in 2023, she scripted history at the Arthur Ashe Stadium against Aryna Sabalenka. Ahead of a fresh French Open campaign, the World No.2 just recalled the memories from her maiden slam final.

While the last season didn’t yield a similar campaign, Gauff did reach the semis. And guess what? She found Swiatek once again, who edged her out in straight sets (6-2, 6-4). But in tennis, it’s always a new day and a new match you need to focus on. The 21-year-old is gearing up for a new French Open campaign this month. Just before the on-court action, she sat down for a pre-event press conference on May 23.

Inevitably, she was asked about that loss from the 2022 edition in Paris. So how did it really feel like? “I think immediately after, it was a tough feeling for me because I felt like I very much underperformed in that final. Not necessarily, obviously, in the game-wise but mentally I was very disappointed. How mentally I approached that match and I just felt like I couldn’t ever overcome that.”

During the conference, she also added that, “I just turned it (final loss) into motivation and I knew that that I was gonna be in a final position again and I was like, ‘I’m not going to go out like that. I’m going to leave with my head held high.'”

And we know what transpired in her next summit clash at the Flushing Meadows. “I was able to approach that US Open final differently but I definitely think I needed that final loss to reach this point.” As she’s about to begin her 2025 campaign at the Roland Garros, Gauff looks to be a potential winner, as her recent form is placing her among the contenders!

Coco Gauff to enter the French Open with a fine form on clay

Who would have thought that Coco Gauff would emerge as one of the solid frontrunners for the crown at this season’s Roland Garros? More than a month ago, she was even struggling to make a deep run in back-to-back events. After making it to the QF down under, in January, the 2024 WTA Finals winner found it tough to clear the first round encounters across successive tournaments.

In Qatar, Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami, she couldn’t go past R32, R32, R16, and then R16 again. But then came the Stuttgart Open and the fortunes changed for her on the clay surface. She went on to reach the QF of that event and didn’t look back. In the next campaign in Madrid, Gauff succeeded in reaching the summit clash, on clay again. Unfortunately, she couldn’t win the trophy as World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka proved too good to beat.

However, Gauff continued her newfound form at the Italian Open, too. Earlier this month, she made it to her second straight final of this season. However, she failed to win the title against local favorite Jasmine Paolini, but the American proved her mettle ahead of the campaign on the Parisian clay.

On Sunday, Gauff will kickstart her journey at the Roland Garros against Aussie Olivia Gadecki. What are your thoughts on the World No.2’s chances in Paris this time? Let us know in the comments below.