‘She’s Licking Her Lips’ – Tectonic Shift in Coco Gauff’s Rivalry With Iga Swiatek Projected by Former No. 4

With the French Open coming to an end, tennis fans are now turning their heads to the next big Grand Slam tournament of this year, Wimbledon. As players like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and many others gear up for the oldest tournament of tennis, one question pops up in many tennis fans’ minds. Will the “Queen of Clay,” Swiatek, prove her dominance on grass courts as well? Or will it be the reigning U.S. Open champion, Gauff, claiming her spot at the top? Opinions might differ. But according to the former top-4 player, Greg Rusedski, Coco Gauff needs to bring her “‘A’ game” to Wimbledon this year to win the tournament.

On June 13, the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast released its latest episode featuring Greg Rusedski and discussed the French Open and the players that conquered the red clay this year. As the conversation shifted to Iga Swiatek, the host of the show, Mitch Michals asked the 50-year-old former player, “Do you see Iga’s reign extending beyond Roland Garros? Do you think she’s gonna be in the mix or continue to win one of these or the other majors?”

Rusedski responded, “I think if you look at her, she’s won four French Opens and one U.S. Open. For Coco, let’s be honest on grass, against Iga? I guess Iga, she’s licking her lips. She is thinking that’s my time to start squaring up this rivalry.” Continuing his statement, he also hinted at how Coco Gauff’s victory against Venus Williams back in 2019 at Wimbledon is a testament to her resilience on-court. However, Gauff, who has a 2-0 lead over Williams, has not produced a similar record against Iga Swiatek.

On June 13, the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast released its latest episode featuring Greg Rusedski and discussed the French Open and the players that conquered the red clay this year. As the conversation shifted to Iga Swiatek, the host of the show, Mitch Michals asked the 50-year-old former player, “Do you see Iga’s reign extending beyond Roland Garros? Do you think she’s gonna be in the mix or continue to win one of these or the other majors?”

Rusedski responded, “I think if you look at her, she’s won four French Opens and one U.S. Open. For Coco, let’s be honest on grass, against Iga? I guess Iga, she’s licking her lips. She is thinking that’s my time to start squaring up this rivalry.” Continuing his statement, he also hinted at how Coco Gauff’s victory against Venus Williams back in 2019 at Wimbledon is a testament to her resilience on-court. However, Gauff, who has a 2-0 lead over Williams, has not produced a similar record against Iga Swiatek.

Although she has met the Pole 12 times on-court, Gauff has managed to win only once. Especially on clay, the 20-year-old player has never won a single match against Swiatek. A glimpse of that was visible during this season as well. Be it in the Italian Open or French Open, Swiatek’s prowess on-court has persisted against Gauff. Except for the Cincinnati Masters of 2023, because Gauff claimed her first victory against her.