With the Sunshine Double in the books, the top tennis players in the world will turn their attention to the clay-court swing. Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, and Aryna Sabalenka will all return to the court in April as the WTA Tour starts preparations for the French Open.
Sabalenka dominated proceedings during the Sunshine Double and won both the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open. Świątek endured a disappointing campaign in the United States, while Gauff battled an arm injury to make the Miami Open final.
What Is Next for Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, and Aryna Sabalenka?
Gauff, Świątek, and Sabalenka are all scheduled to return to action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. This WTA 500 event will get underway on April 11 and is set to feature seven of the top 10 players in the WTA Rankings.
Świątek is a two-time champion in Stuttgart, having won the tournament in 2022 and 2023. She defeated Sabalenka in the final in straight sets on both occasions. The Pole made the quarterfinals last year and the semifinals in 2024.
A four-time French Open champion, Świątek considers clay to be her favorite surface. She hopes to turn the tide during the clay-court swing after a dismal start to the year by her high standards.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka has endured plenty of frustration at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, losing in the final on four occasions.
The winner of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix receives a Porsche, and Sabalenka joked after her loss to Jeļena Ostapenko in last year’s final that the only way for her to get the car would be to buy it herself.
Sabalenka later revealed that she had bought a Porsche herself, saying, “I did order my car. I think we are going to [get] a GT RS. Purple, purple colour. Cool car. You know what, I’m so tired of losing in the finals so I decided I’ll go for the craziest car there is! It’s going to be driving fast in Miami.”
Clay is by no means Sabalenka’s strongest surface, but she does have three clay-court titles to her name.
MORE: Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff Have Fallen Short in Aryna Sabalenka’s Dominant Era, Roddick Suggests
Gauff has never reached the final in Stuttgart in women’s singles but was a doubles losing finalist at the event in 2022. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals both last year and in 2024.
The American did go on to win the French Open last year, defeating Sabalenka in the final. She will have her sights set on more success on clay this year.
