Coco Gauff‘s run for the French Open title appears to be full of dangers. While Iga Swiatek proved to be a hurdle that the Americans couldn’t cross back in Rome, this time there’s more than just the Pole. Gauff is set to start her journey as a clay court major with a showdown against Julia Avdeeva. If she manages to surpass the initial challenge, the real bumps will start approaching.

Everyone in the tennis world is aware of the struggles that have been surrounding Coco Gauff’s performance lately. Besides the increased frequency of double faults, the 20-year-old’s reduced bandwidth to fight seeded players has been an evident challenge lately. Taking all of this into consideration, Andy Roddick used his podcast to highlight a notable challenge resting on the US Open champion’s path to glory in Paris.

“Haddad Brazilian multiple name Brazilian (Beatriz Haddad Maia) semi-finalist last year yeah she’s going through,” Roddick stated, naming the Brazilian as a notable challenge for Gauff. “That’s going to be a tough one for Coco I’m telling you! I’m not going to pick against her but we’ll get there,” he added, dropping hints about how hard it is to predict a winner between the two.

Coco Gauff has a high chance of finding herself in a showdown against Beatriz Haddad Maia. While most fans might be curious about what makes the Brazilian a remarkable opponent against a top-ranked player like Coco Gauff, several points justify it. Looking back to the French Open last year, Haddad Maia made it to the semi-finals, defeating notable players like Ons Jabeur. Although she faced a defeat against Iga Swiatek, the 27-year-old gave a good fight, proving her firm grip on the red dirt.

Now that she’s set to be a notable opponent in Gauff’s path, it surely is an alarming danger that the young American should be prepared for, both physically and mentally. Standing against a difficult draw, the 20-year-old seems unbothered because of her confidence.

Coco Gauff oozes confidence before beginning her run for the Roland Garros title

Coco Gauff’s dreams for the French Open title were broken with a near miss as she lost the finals to Iga Swiatek back in 2022. Keeping the mistakes she made in the past in mind, the tennis star is getting herself ready once again to go for glory. Fans were concerned about her situation on clay courts because of the recent setbacks. If you ask the WTA star, she takes the defeats as a positive aspect.

In a recent interview, Gauff mentioned the fact that she has been deriving new learning from each of her previous matches. “I have been trying to improve it with every tournament, from the start of the clay to Rome,” the 20-year-old said. The US Open champion mentioned that she feels better about herself after playing her recent matches. “Last week I felt like from the start of the week till the end of the week I improved a lot,” she added, being optimistic about the upcoming tournament.

As Gauff believes that she’s on the right way to amend the issues limiting her dominance, it sure is a positive sign for her as well as the fans who wish to see her add another grand slam title to the portfolio.