Andy Roddick shared his thoughts on Coco Gauff’s title win at the 2025 Wuhan Open and how it will enhance her chances of defending her title at the upcoming WTA Finals. Last year, the World No. 3 defeated Zheng Qinwen in the final of the season-ending tournament to claim the title.
This year, the WTA Finals are scheduled to take place from November 1 to November 8, 2025, at the King Saud University Indoor Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
What Did Andy Roddick Say About Coco Gauff’s Chances at the 2025 WTA Finals?
Gauff recently competed at the 2025 Wuhan Open. Entering the tournament as the third seed, she began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. In her opening match, she defeated qualifier Moyuka Uchijima and followed up with a victory over wild card Zhang Shuai in the third round.
In the quarterfinals, the World No. 3 eliminated Laura Siegemund, and she secured her spot in the final by overcoming seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Gauff defeated fellow American, sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula, with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-5, claiming the 2025 Wuhan Open title. This win marked her third WTA 1000 title and her 11th career singles title on the WTA Tour.
During her run to the title, the two-time Grand Slam champion did not lose a single set, and she also became the first player in history to achieve a 9-0 record in hard-court finals.
In a recent episode of the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, Roddick discussed Gauff’s chances of defending her title at the 2025 WTA Finals. He noted that the absence of the “spotlight” and pressure typically found in Grand Slam tournaments allows Gauff to perform well at the season-ending tournament.
The former US Open champion also pointed out that defeating Pegula in the Wuhan final would significantly boost Gauff’s confidence as she heads into the WTA Finals.
“I don’t know. I think she played well at this time last year. I almost think that since the Grand Slam spotlight isn’t on anyone, you might free up a little bit. She seemed to play well during this time of year last year, but I don’t know. Does beating Pagula in that match change everything going into the WTA Tour finals? Probably not, but she’ll be confident,” Roddick said.
In 2024, in the round-robin stages of the WTA Finals, Gauff defeated Pegula and defending champion Iga Świątek before losing to Barbora Krejčíková. In the semifinals, she eliminated Aryna Sabalenka and then defeated Zheng in the final to win the tournament, claiming her ninth career WTA Tour singles title.