American tennis star Coco Gauff was unsuccessful in her quest to dethrone defending Roland Garros (French Open) champion Iga Swiatek on Thursday, and Patrick McEnroe believes her loss may have been affected by her wavering form.
Swiatek pulled off a 6-2 6-2 victory, defeating Gauff for the second straight year in Paris after getting past the American in last year's final. Although McEnroe commended Gauff for reaching the quarterfinals this year, he believes the 19-year old's inconsistency, especially on the forehand side, play a part in her loss.
“Coco, because of this shakiness on her forehand wing, she kinda went to this play where she was just being super consistent, playing with a lot of spin,” the American said on the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast. "It was good enough to get to the quarters and it was good enough to stay in the match for a while in the first set. But she had no real ability to hit big on the forehand. And Swiatek, she can hurt you off both wings.”
Furthermore, McEnroe stated Gauff may be unsure of herself now as she's currently between coaches.
"Right now, she’s kinda lost between what she wants to do. She doesn’t feel like she can really go for the shots consistently, cause she makes too many mistakes,” the former player said. "And then, when she does spin it, it’s a decent ball, but against a quality player, it’s just not enough. And Swiatek’s just too solid and moves too well. She’s never had trouble with Coco."
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