With the 2025 French Open women’s singles final set between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, former US Open champion Andy Roddick offered a sharp, layered analysis of what could tip the scales in one player’s favor.
On his ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, the former pro suggested that unpredictable conditions might suit Gauff better, while a more controlled environment would benefit Sabalenka.
Coco Gauff Returns to Roland Garros Final As Aryna Sabalenka Reaches First in Paris
Gauff, the No. 2 seed, is appearing in her second French Open final after wins over Tereza Valentova, Marie Bouzková, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Madison Keys, and French wildcard Lois Boisson. Sabalenka, the top seed, reached her first final in Paris with dominant victories over Kamilla Rakhimova, Jil Teichmann, Olga Danilović, Amanda Anisimova, Zheng Qinwen, and former World No. 1 Iga Świątek.
Given their playing styles and previous encounters, including Gauff’s win over Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open final, the discussion around indoor vs. outdoor conditions has become a hot topic. With the retractable roof at Court Philippe-Chatrier, Roddick’s insight adds another layer to the anticipation.
Roddick delved deep into how playing conditions might influence the outcome. “If I’m Coco, I want it to be weird,” Roddick said. “I want it to be cold or hot or I want the wind to be blowing at 20. If Sabalenka is getting a consistent strike on the ball, I go to think that favors her. But then again, it’s a different tournament. Coco won indoors at WTA Finals.”
He acknowledged the complexity, noting that while Sabalenka might benefit from indoor consistency, Gauff is fully capable of performing in controlled conditions too. “I think Sabalenka is favored with that, but I also think we probably overvalue that,” Roddick added.
He continued by breaking down the contrast in ball dynamics and court conditions. “Coco, if it’s warm, her ball jumps a little bit more, but then Sabalenka gets through the court a little bit more,” he said. “I think if you’re Coco, you want to make the match into a little bit of a gutter brawl, right? If you’re just going toe-to-toe and it becomes like an exhibition of ball striking, that favors Sabalenka.”
Roddick Analyzes the Impact of Playing Indoors vs Outdoors in Gauff-Sabalenka Final
Perhaps most intriguing was Roddick’s analysis of how the indoor atmosphere affects player psychology. “Indoors, everything’s loud, it’s feel-good, like it pops,” he explained. “That affects the strike. There’s like that sensory feedback of sound that probably makes Sabalenka feel good, right?”
Despite leaning toward Sabalenka, Roddick made it clear that Gauff has the tools to pull off the upset. “I think Sabalenka wins this tournament,” he said. “I don’t know that I bet against her in any individual matchup on any given day right now. And until further notice, that doesn’t mean she won’t lose.”
He even brought up Sabalenka’s nail-biting win over Madison Keys at the 2024 Australian Open, adding, “If she had to play Maddy again in those exact same circumstances, I would still take Sabalenka.”
But Roddick didn’t count out Gauff’s ability to rise to the occasion. “You don’t have to be better than her 52 weeks a year,” he noted. “Coco has to be better than her for two hours, and she’s done it before. She beat her in the US Open final, if you hadn’t heard.”
