Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek have both put their Italian Open exits behind them with fun off-court adventures. While the American bade farewell to Rome after her loss in the final of the WTA 1000 event, Świątek landed in Paris ahead of the French Open, with main draw action scheduled to begin on May 24.
How Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek Are Unwinding After the Italian Open
Gauff put together a gritty campaign at the Italian Open, battling through several hard-fought victories to reach her second consecutive final at the WTA 1000 event. However, she was unable to get her hands on the trophy as Elina Svitolina clinched a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 victory in the thrilling final.
The world No. 4 is set to wave goodbye to Rome after her defeat, indulging in a delicious pizza feast to cap off her memorable trip.
“Last meal,” she wrote.
Świątek, meanwhile, has already made her way to Paris after her semifinal loss at the Italian Open. Like Gauff, the Pole also fell short against Svitolina, who secured a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 victory in their showdown.
After taking in the stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, Świątek headed to the Élysées Lincoln cinema to catch a showing of “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
Although Świątek didn’t lift the trophy in Rome, her campaign allowed her to rediscover the joy in competing months after a disappointing Sunshine Double left her reeling from what she described as a player’s “worst nightmare.”
“Yeah, if you play well, if you feel the ball right, if you are doing the right things, it’s all clicking; it’s easy to enjoy. Yeah, I am enjoying. There are tournaments that you enjoy; there are tournaments where you feel you play terrible, not even play, but you overall feel terrible. You need to kind of accept it can happen and kind of move on. Work so you have opportunity to play good on the next one maybe. For sure I feel good here,” she told reporters in Rome.
Gauff also took plenty of positives from her run despite losing in the final, disclosing how the challenges she faced in Rome have prepared her for the upcoming French Open.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of positives I can take from this tournament and a lot I can learn from. I’m sure the pressure will be there. I don’t know. I think this week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament that can bring you before a Grand Slam of I’ve been down, had the lead, lost the lead, I’ve been in the final, been down match point. I think I’ve experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros. Hopefully I can actually learn from each scenario and do better,” the American said.
Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek have received a vote of confidence from former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters ahead of the clay-court Major, as she deemed them bigger favorites for the title than Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff will enter Roland Garros as the defending champion, while the Pole chases her fifth French Open title.
