Coco Gauff, who made it to her first Grand Slam final on Thursday and faces world number one Iga Swiatek, is showing no nerves ahead of what promises to be a testing tie.

Speaking ahead of her match with Swiatek on Saturday, the 18-year-old American said, “I think going in I have nothing to lose and she’s definitely the favourite going into the match on paper.”

Gauff, who proceeded to the final without dropping a single set, added that the match would be unpredictable, saying, “I’m just going to play free and play my best tennis. I think in a Grand Slam final anything can happen.”

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“If I do lift the trophy, honestly, I don’t think my life is going to change really. I know it sounds kind of bad to say that, but the people who love me are still going to love me regardless if I lift the trophy or not,” the 18-year-old concluded, showing no sign of nervousness ahead of the biggest match in her career thus far.

While Gauff has had an impressive run indeed, it has been overshadowed by the 21-year-old Swiatek’s form, who has had a remarkable season thus far, and is chasing her sixth successive title on Saturday.

Swiatek, having beaten Russian Daria Kasatkina  6-2, 6-1 in the semi-final, is tied with women’s tennis great Serena Williams‘ career-high winning streak from 2013, a record that the Pole could potentially break on Saturday.

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However, ahead of the match, Swiatek showed no sign of overconfidence, despite having won both her previous clashes against Gauff.

“I’m pretty happy that she’s doing well, because I think she’s also had a huge amount of pressure in her life,” the Pole told the press, adding, “When I see her, I tend to forget that she’s 18.”

With two players in blistering form set to clash on Saturday, the final of the 2022 French Open could mark the beginning of a new, long rivalry at the very top of the women’s game.