Andy Roddick observed that Coco Gauff appeared less expressive than usual during the Rome Open final, but he believed it might have been a conscious decision by the 21-year-old to avoid provoking the Italian crowd. On Saturday, Gauff America’s top-ranked female tennis player struggled, and Jasmine Paolini capitalized on that to secure a 6-2, 6-4 victory and win the title in front of a supportive home audience. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, seemed tense throughout the match, and her 55 unforced errors reflected that.
Commentators also noticed something was off about Gauff’s performance. On his podcast Served with Andy Roddick, Roddick addressed those observations. While he didn’t fully agree that Gauff seemed flat, he described her as appearing “angsty.” He suggested that her subdued demeanor might have been intentional. “It’s strange she’s one of the top contenders, but maybe she felt a bit on edge. Maybe she wanted to avoid energizing the Italian crowd by staying quiet. On-air commentators said she looked flat, but I’m not sure. She might’ve been trying not to rile up the fans against her,” Roddick explained.
Considering the notoriously vocal and passionate crowd in Rome often criticized by players for being overly intense Roddick’s interpretation seems plausible. The Foro Italico atmosphere can be overwhelming, especially when playing against a home favorite like Paolini. Roddick also mentioned that Gauff finds herself in a “weird spot” heading into the French Open, having reached consecutive finals in Madrid and Rome without winning either.
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