Although Coco Gauff’s Indian Wells run has concluded, the World No. 3 continues to garner attention from her fellow players, notably for her passion for reading. The 2023 US Open champion is well-known as an avid bookworm. “I loved reading as a kid and I kind of lost it when I got older,” she shared with the WTA last year. Not to mention, she engages in annual reading challenges, aiming to read as many books as possible. The 21-year-old recently rekindled her childhood love of reading, thanks to her boyfriend, Jalen Sera. Interestingly, even Iga Swiatek, Gauff’s rival at the French Open, has now publicly acknowledged and praised Gauff’s literary pursuits.
Swiatek, who has failed to reach any WTA final this season so far, looks in fine form at the Indian Wells. After winning her QF encounter (6-3, 6-3) against Qinwen Zheng on Thursday, the Pole has made it to the last four. Last year’s champion is now on the verge of reaching her second straight BNP Paribas Open final. By the way, ousting Zheng finally gave her a relief as she avenged her 2024 Paris Olympics loss. Last year, the Chinese WTA pro defeated her with a score line of 6-2, 7-5 in the semis. Before her SF battle, the former World No.1 sat down for a presser, dated March 13, to share perspectives on her performance.
Apart from tennis, however, Swiatek was also asked about book reading. A common practice among WTA figures like former pros Andrea Petkovic and Kiki Bertens. When asked if she knows any other active WTA player who read a lot, Swiatek initially struggled to name any. “Well, I’m not sure, honestly, who is reading a lot.” But she quickly remembered and said, “I think Coco maybe does, but yeah, I think she posted sometimes on Instagram something. But I’m not sure, honestly, because I don’t really follow that close, you know, what players are doing.” But what about Swiatek’s book interest?
When asked what two (or three) books she would like to carry if stuck on an island, the Pole said, “For sure ‘Gone With the Wind’. The whole, I mean, Ken Follett’s books, probably like the whole series.” Among the two names, Gone With the Wind happens to be absolute classic. It’s written by the iconic American author Margaret Mitchell. The latter was even awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for this book in 1937. A year prior, it also won the National Book Award for Most Distinguished Novel of 1936.
Image Credits – Imago
Fun fact: Gone With the Wind became so popular that it inspired a film adaptation in 1939. Similar to the book, the movie went on to become a classic. It also made a record at the 12th Academy Awards in 1940. Out of thirteen nominations (a record back then), it won in eight categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.
Swiatek failed to name a third book as she “still haven’t read enough to pick a third one yet. I need to read some classics to maybe the third one is going to come up.” But it was nice to see her acknowledging Gauff for a similar hobby. Will the latter appreciate it with a thank you gesture? We don’t know. What we do know is that Gauff’s got a target on Swiatek this season.
Coco Gauff has got “unfinished business” with Iga Swiatek at the 2025 French Open
Coco Gauff, who turned 21 on Thursday, recently sat down for a special interview with Roland Garros’ team on the eve of her birthday. She touched upon the significance of the French Open in her career. Why? It’s the same tournament where she won the junior girl’s title back in 2018. Not only that, she even made it to her maiden Slam final in this very event.
Back in 2022, Gauff entered the title clash at the Roland Garros. An 18-year-old teenager back then, she looked in fine form to accomplish her Slam dream, but she found Iga Swiatek. The Pole gave her no chance and eventually defeated her with a score line of 6-1, 6-3. After the loss, the American said, “I think that Iga was just too good today. It’s one of those matches that, yes, I, in some moments, could have played better. But she really didn’t give me anything. Every time I thought I hit a good ball, it wasn’t,” reported Roland Garros website in June 2022.
Continuing further, she added, “There is a reason why she’s on a winning streak. I’m just glad that I really tried my best today.” It was the beginning of their French Open rivalry. Or should we say, a one-sided rivalry. Why so?
A year later, they met again on the Parisian clay court during the 2023 French QF round. Swiatek once again broke Gauff’s desires to lift the coveted Suzanne Lenglen Cup. This time, she ousted her with a score line of 6-4, 6-2 and made it to her second straight final. Not to mention she won as well after conquering Czechia’s Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. But guess what?
Swiatek and Gauff met once again, last season, at the Roland Garros. Result? It remained unchanged for the American. In the semifinal, Swiatek defeated the 2023 US Open winner 6-2, 6-4. Speaking to Roland Garros in the latest interaction, Gauff mentioned that she wants to prove herself this time.
“I do think I am a good player on clay.” And she knows that “if I want to win that tournament (French Open), I have to probably beat her, most likely.” In Gauff’s own words, “She’s an unbelievable talent, on any surface, but especially on clay. I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business there. And yeah, she’s definitely the number one person to beat when it comes to playing at Roland-Garros.”
The question is: will Coco Gauff make it happen this year? Only time will tell. What do you think of her prospects at the French Open? Let us know in the comments below.
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