World No. 2 Iga Świątek recently delivered a strong message to fellow WTA star and World No. 3 Coco Gauff, explaining why she holds the American in such high regard. Both players are currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the WTA Finals, with Świątek set to begin her campaign on Saturday and Gauff on Sunday.
Iga Świątek Heaps Praise on Coco Gauff Ahead of WTA Finals Campaign
The WTA Finals will once again adopt the round-robin format, with the elite field split into two groups paying tribute to legends Stefanie Graf and Serena Williams. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Italian sensation Jasmine Paolini are in Group Graf. Meanwhile, the Williams Group would see Świątek go against Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova, and Madison Keys in the season-ending event.
Świątek and Gauff have both delivered strong seasons leading into Riyadh. Gauff arrives with two titles, including a Grand Slam triumph at Roland Garros, while Świątek has collected three trophies, highlighted by her Wimbledon victory at SW19. The American opens her campaign in an all-American clash against close friend Jessica Pegula, whereas the Pole begins her run against reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
Ahead of her campaign, the World No. 2 featured in Tennis Channel’s video segment where she offered a shoutout to Gauff, praising the American’s remarkable growth both as a player and as a person despite her young age.
“I will give a shoutout to Coco even though she is young. When you are young, life can be messy. She is really developing well as a player but also as a human, so this will be my shoutout,” she said.
iga gave a shoutout to coco and also mentioned aryna and jessica
📹 tennis channel | twitter pic.twitter.com/qW3c5lbBwY— iga archive ✦ (@igaswiarchive) October 31, 2025
The two stars have faced off 15 times, with Świątek largely commanding the rivalry. The Pole holds a convincing 11–4 head-to-head lead, yet the dynamics have shifted lately, as Gauff won their last two meetings, all of them in straight sets.
Their most recent showdown came in the Madrid Open semifinals earlier this year, where fourth seed Gauff sealed a confident 6–4, 6–4 victory over the Pole. The two also crossed paths at last year’s WTA Finals in the same group, a clash Gauff won 6–3, 6–4 en route to lifting the title.
While they are placed in separate groups this year, a blockbuster semifinal or even final showdown between the two remains very much on the cards.
