Gauff made history last year at the French Open. She became the first woman to win the singles final of the French Open after losing the first set since 2018, when Simona Halep triumphed from a set down against Sloane Stephens. It was also a meeting between World No.1 Sabalenka and World No.2 Gauff at the final of Roland Garros.

The triumph also saw Gauff become the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win Roland Garros. However, this year, should she fail to defend the title, she won't be the first woman to do so. Madison Keys failed to defend the Australian Open in January and crashed out in the round of 16.

Last year, Sabalenka failed to defend the Australian Open, and Iga Swiatek couldn't win the French Open for the third consecutive year. Besides that, this is not the first time that Gauff has been a defending champion heading into a major, having also won the US Open against Sabalenka three years ago.

Nonetheless, she was beaten in the round of 16 of the tournament the following season by fellow compatriot Emma Navarro after racking up 19 double faults at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Speaking to Associated Press, Gauff admitted that she has learned from her previous experience at the US Open and she's not under any pressure to defend the Roland Garros:

I realize that the 'defending' means nothing in a way. I don't really look at it as defending anymore. At the U.S. Open, I was like, 'I need to defend, defend.' When you're playing a tournament that you didn't win, what is it called? That's why I just say now it's just another tournament: 'I won it last year. I'll try again to do it this year.' I'm not going to be able to defend every year. I'm not Rafa.

The last player to defend a Grand Slam in the women's singles was Sabalenka, who did so last year at the US Open. In the past five Grand Slams in the women's circuit, four have been new champions.

Coco Gauff started the clay-court swing with an early exit at the Stuttgart Open and Madrid Open. However, she found her rhythm in her game at the Italian Open last week and reached the final for the second consecutive season. She lost the title to Elina Svitolina, who claimed her third trophy in Rome.

Also, it was the third meeting between Gauff and Svitolina this season, with the latter winning all their ties. The defeat leaves a pain in Gauff's having failed to find a way to overcome the Ukrainian star, but she's happy to pick up the positives from her run at the Italian Open in Rome:

This week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament. I've been down, had the lead, lost the lead. I've been in the final, been down match point. I think I've experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros. Hopefully, I can actually learn from each scenario and do better.

Gauff will be the fourth seed at the French Open, which means she could face either Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals. Rybakina already has one clay-court title to her name this season, whilst Sabalenka has not been able to reach the semi-finals on the surface. Gauff will be open to taking her chances against the two top players in the circuit.

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