Coco Gauff will begin her pursuit of a second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, where she will face Olivia Gadecki in the first round.
Gauff made the final of the Italian Open and has had an impressive clay swing so far, having also finished as runner-up in Madrid.
The American is still in search of her first title of the season at the French Open, following near misses in the Spanish and Italian capitals.
With a favourable draw announced for the 21-year-old, Gauff could become the first American winner in singles at Roland Garros since Serena Williams in 2015, but British tennis legend Tim Henman thinks there’s something that might get in her way.
Tim Henman explains what might hold Coco Gauff back at the French Open
Speaking on Gauff‘s chances before the tournament, Henman said: “I just find it very stressful when I watch Coco Gauff, so I can only imagine what it must be like for her.
“You know that Zheng match at night, she served 17 double faults, there were 45 break points, there were 80 unforced errors, the second serve and forehand were breaking down so often. She’s number two in the world!
“I just think with the mental fatigue and the effort it takes, you want to be on the court playing well and enjoying yourself.
“I just wonder whether that is just getting so tiring it’s gonna wear her down coming into a slam in the next couple of weeks.”
Mats Wilander says what he saw from Coco Gauff at the Italian Open was ‘worrying’
Former world number one Mats Wilander also has his reservations about Gauff, stating: “I saw that final in Rome up close and I actually thought Coco Gauff was the big favourite going in against Jasmine Paolini.
“It seemed like the same problem, the second serve went away, the forehand went away, and I think the forehand is probably more worrying than the serve.
“With her movement I think you have to hit such a clean match to be able to beat her. I was surprised that she didn’t come back in that second set against Paolini in Rome.
“But yes, I would put her up there amongst the favourites for sure because of attitude and movement. The attitude was brilliant in Rome even though she didn’t play that good of a match.”
Gauff is the second seed this year at Roland Garros, where she made the final in 2022; her best campaign to date.
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