Andy Roddick thinks Coco Gauff has one extremely unique skill and that's finding a way to win even against the best players when she is having "a gross day" at the office.
Whenever Gauff's form and results get rough, the American's critics love to talk about her serve and forehand as two weaknesses. And the 21-year-old herself admitted during certain tough periods that her serve was failing her.
However, Gauff has still been one of the best and most accomplished players in the game for the past two years after winning two Grand Slams, a WTA Finals title, and reaching the world No. 2 ranking.
While Gauff had multiple "ugly wins" during the 2025 season, the most famous example of that came during this year's French Open final. In very windy and tricky conditions, the American sprayed eight double faults, 30 unforced errors, and lost her serve four times.
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That day, neither Gauff nor Sabalenka played their best. But the American accepted that was the case - started playing long points and forcing Sabalenka into a mistake - and that ultimately paid off as the Belarusian blasted a stunning 70 unforced errors and the American came back from a set down to win 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-4.
Roddick praises Gauff: There is a skill in making a match ugly and gross, and then winning it
"I will say this, and it's like a testament to Coco Gauff, and we've covered the serving situation. We've covered the forehand situation. To be dealing with two shots like that and then to take a kind of gross day and somehow being able to manipulate this match into a street fight, a battle of wills where it's not just Sabalenka's dominance on both sides, and she's done it in both of the Slam finals she's won, right?" Roddick explained on his podcast.
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"We always view it as a negative. It is amazing what her base offering, even while trying to negotiate around certain parts of her game that aren't working, twice. She's won Grand Slams and beaten Sabalenka in the final. Like, there is a skill to making a match gross, ugly, however you want to define it, and there is a certain beauty in the ugliness."
In August, Gauff hired biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan to address her serve technique, and she fixed some things on the go in their first three months together. Now that the offseason has come, the American plans to fully lock in on improving her serve for the 2026 season.
