Coco Gauff’s ‘Mighty’ Masterclass Against Iga Swiatek Earns High Praise From Former Coach After Clay Breakthrough

“I was aggressive and played with margin. Maybe it wasn’t her best level.” A confident Coco Gauff said on Thursday after thrashing five-time slam queen and last season’s Madrid Open champion Iga Swiatek. In what one was expecting to be a nail-biting clash, the 2023 US Open winner made it a one-sided affair. She handed a double breadstick (6-1, 6-1) to the Pole. The latter had no response to Gauff’s lethal strokes throughout the match which lasted only 64 minutes. Yes, you read it right. It took just that long for Gauff to wrap up the encounter and move into her maiden Madrid Open summit clash. Now, her former trainer has showered high praise on her complete dominance of Swiatek.

This match was a statement from Gauff in more ways than one. Especially given the fact that her overall 2025 season hasn’t been amazing. After reaching the Australian Open QF round, she went through a poor phase. In back-to-back events, such as the Qatar Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami Open, the American faced early exits. But it seems she’s regained her momentum since the Stuttgart Open where she made it to the R8. Now in Madrid, she’s proved her mettle with a sensational campaign so far.

Brad Gilbert, who coached Gauff from mid-2023 to September 2024, took to X, on Friday. Failing to resist his happiness over Gauff’s one-sided dominance in the SF clash, the ex-American pro wrote, “mighty impressive effort from Coco, absolutely hammers Iga Pop for her 1st win on clay and 3rd straight win overall”

mighty impressive effort from Coco, absolutely hammers Iga Pop for her 1st win on clay and 3rd straight win overall

— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) May 1, 2025

For the uninitiated, Gilbert was involved in Coco Gauff‘s team when she won her maiden slam at the Flushing Meadows. Back in September 2023, the American beat Aryna Sabalenka in an intense thriller. Eventually, she lifted the trophy with a score line of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Circling back to her Madrid Open run, she’s now registered a third straight win over Swiatek. After ousting the five-time slam queen, Gauff said, “For me, it was just making sure my level stayed the same. In the second, I raised it.” reported WTA’s website on May 1.

Last season, Gauff bested her during the WTA Finals’ group stage. Then she beat her again earlier this year in the United Cup final clash. And now she’s pulled off a hat-trick of victories against the Pole with a double breadstick performance in Madrid. However, Swiatek still leads the h2h tally 11-4.

With her win on Thursday, Gauff has become the third youngest player (21 years and 39 days) to reach the WTA 1000 finals on both clay and hard courts. Before her, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki and Iga Swiatek have accomplished this feat. Speaking more about the Pole, she was left in shambles after the loss against Gauff. So much so, that she was seen crying during the match while failing to perform well. But what could have been the possible reason behind such a poor display from a champion player like her? Looks like a key reason has popped up eventually.

Personal tragedy may have played a role in Iga Swiatek’s downfall against Coco Gauff in Madrid

Following the match on Thursday, Iga Swiatek was asked about her lackluster performance. Reflecting on what happened on the court, she said, “I feel like I haven’t been moving well,” reported Tennis Channel on May 1. “The tennis also was like on and off, you know, for most of the tournament. So I wasn’t really sure what I have in my tool box. I didn’t even have a plan B because nothing was working today.”

Stressing her inability to fight back against Gauff, she added, “Honestly, there’s nothing like to walk through because it was all pretty much the same from the beginning to the end,” reported WTA’s website on May 1. “I couldn’t really get my level up. Coco played good, but, yeah, I think it’s on me that I didn’t really move well, I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness. With that kind of game, it was pretty bad.”

Now it’s come to light that there must have been a crucial reason behind the Pole’s failure in Madrid. And what’s that? According to French Journalist and insider Benoit Maylin, it appears her poor performance was caused by a personal loss. In a social media update, the journalist also involved 24-time slam king Novak Djokovic who’s had a poor run across ATP events this season. A few days ago, after his second-round loss to Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid, the Serbian opted to withdraw from the upcoming Italian Open.

Maylin revealed on X that both Djokovic and Swiatek have been going through personal obstacles lately. His post, dated May 2, read, “Before burying Djokovic and Swiatek after Novak’s strange behavior and Iga’s apparent nervousness, it should be noted that both are going through a complicated period. Several of Djoko’s close friends have health problems, and Iga lost his grandfather just before the tournament,”

It seems the report on Swiatek’s grandfather is accurate. Following Maylin’s post, Polish journalist Michael Chojeki informed that Swiatek’s PR manager confirmed the details to him. “I asked Iga Swiatek’s team if the information given by this journalist about the death of Iga’s grandfather is true. Daria Sulgostowska (Swiatek’s PR manager) confirms. Iga was at the funeral before the tournament,” Chojecki wrote while replying to Maylin’s initial post.

What are your thoughts on the Pole’s current form and her underwhelming clay court run ahead of the French Open? Do you think she will bounce back eventually to defend her Roland Garros title? Let us know in the comments below.

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