Remember what happened at the WTA Finals last year? Coco Gauff was down by 5-3 in the third set of a grueling match, and her chances of victory looked quite slim against Qinwen Zheng. But despite all the hurdles, her resilience sealed her one of the biggest finals of her career. She defeated Zheng by 3-6,6-4,7-6(2) to become the youngest champion of the WTA Finals since 17-year-old Maria Sharapova (2004). Following this incredible fight back, Gauff revealed her secret to success, saying, “I was just trying my best to hang in there, and I never gave up. I was just telling myself, ‘It’s another point, another chance.’“ Fast forward six months, Gauff yet again showcased a similar resilience against Zheng in the SF of the 2025 Italian Open. How does she manage to “win ugly” time and again? Well, American legend Andy Roddick recently shared his thoughts on her recent win. What did he say?

Coco Gauff’s ability to win matches despite not playing her best is attributed to a combination of factors, including her strong mental game, athleticism, and her incredible ability to adapt and find solutions amid tricky situations. Her former coach, Brad Gilbert, wrote a book named ‘Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis – Lessons from a Master‘. But what does “winning ugly” actually mean? “In the most simplistic way, winning ugly is about figuring out how to win. In a lot of tennis lessons, you’re learning how to hit the ball a little better. But that’s not about competing.” It seems like her former student has taken this mantra pretty seriously!

Qinwen Zheng was just two points away from becoming the first Chinese woman since Li Na (2012) to play for the trophy at the Italian Open, but Gauff had other ideas. This time, she defeated Zheng by 7-6(3),4-6,7-6(4), and after this match, Coco Gauff admitted, “I was just trying to go for every point. I knew before it was going to be a physical match. The last time we played was over three hours.” How does Andy Roddick analyze Gauff’s incredible ability to steal victory from the jaws of defeat? In the recent episode of the TC Live Podcast, the former world number one said, “I mean I think this all you know, cumulative factors of confidence. She plays well in Madrid, gets through, gets the engine rolling. She has confidence when chips are down, even if she doesn’t have her best stuff, even when she thinks she feels like she’s hitting a beach ball that day. It doesn’t know where it’s going. She can still kind of grind in and simmer in, and that’s what we call match tough.“

He also added, “This match against Qinwen was match tough. Nothing about what Coco did, screamed ‘I’m gonna win this match…‘ and how that translated. She’s just really good at dragging you into the gutter when she is not playing well.” Is Roddick the only one to heap praise on Coco Gauff’s incredible resilience, though?

Well, Mike Tyson had once highlighted her incredible “courage and tenacity” while hailing her as the “Future GOAT“. The seven-time Grand Slam champion, Justine Henin, once stated, “She has a resilience that potentially will take her very far in terms of what she will win in her career. She has the capacity to bounce back, and that’s the sign of a potentially very big future. Of course, there is a path to get there and reach these successes.” She spoke about how, despite having a few weaknesses, Gauff “never gives up“. Talking about weakness, what has been the major concern in her game so far, according to Andy Roddick?

Despite showcasing incredible resilience against Qinwen Zheng, Coco Gauff’s major flaw gets highlighted by Andy Roddick

Talking about her biggest flaw in recent times, well, it is surely her higher number of double-fault counts. Coco Gauff has already committed 35 double faults at the 2025 Italian Open, and guess what? 16 of them have come in her previous match against Zheng. Seeing her constant troubles with her serves, Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, recently tweeted, “Coco has the heart of a lion. She actually has 2 hearts 2 lungs 2 backbones a 2-handed backhand, but 2 many double faults. This shows you how strong mentally this young warrior is, and once the second serve is Stable, number one is on the Table. @CocoGauff.“

He also highlighted how, despite committing so many double faults, Gauff still managed to end the day on a winning note. Commenting on the same problem for Gauff, Jim Courier recently said, “Many have tried. Andy spent some time with her, trying to help her as well. A lot of it comes down to the ball toss position. I’ve felt, at times, when [she hits] her second serve, the ball toss is a little too far forward and you can’t really go up at it.”

Interesting Fact: Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, had called Andy Roddick in the early phases of the 2024 season to take a look at her serves and how she can improve them.

Despite working with one of the finest servers in the history of the sport, Gauff’s struggles with her serves seem to be a never-ending story now. Speaking on a similar note, Andy Roddick recently joined Courier, saying, “I think Jim is absolutely right. I’ve watched her step, three feet from her, she’s ripping it, and the net’s not even in play in practice, right? I think it’s just a matter of training that mentality, you kinda have to hit the bottom of the ball a little bit, or at least have the mentality to create speed and margin by kind of rolling over from the bottom.“

Coco Gauff will take on Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the final of the 2025 Italian Open. Although she has a 2-1 record over the Italian, her serving woes and the pressure from the Italian crowd could perhaps make things a bit tricky for the American. Can she win this battle in Rome and level up her confidence ahead of the French Open? Share your thoughts in the comment box.