**Coco Gauff Optimistic About French Open Chances Despite Madrid and Rome Losses**
Coco Gauff remains confident in her prospects at the 2025 French Open, starting May 25, despite suffering “bittersweet” defeats in the Madrid and Rome WTA 1000 finals. The World No. 2, who lost to Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 in Madrid and Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-2 in Rome, expressed a mix of pride and disappointment but sees these runs as a positive sign for Roland Garros. “I made the final with lots of errors. It gives me confidence if I can find that good form heading into Roland Garros, I can do well there,” Gauff said, per @TheFirstServeAU on X. Her optimism is bolstered by her No. 2 seeding, secured after Jessica Pegula’s Rome loss, ensuring a favorable draw, per @josemorgado.
Gauff’s clay season showcased resilience, with deep runs despite technical flaws. In Rome, she overcame a one-set deficit against Victoria Mboko and battled a foot injury, per The Express, but her 28 unforced errors and double faults against Paolini highlighted serving woes, as noted by Andy Roddick on Tennis Channel. Roddick praised her ability to “drag opponents into the gutter” with gritty, attritional play, a strength on clay, but warned her misfiring forehand and serve need work. Gauff acknowledged this, vowing to “minimize double faults” before Paris, per 777score.com.[](https://sports.yahoo.com/article/andy-roddick-jim-courier-raise-133110008.html)[](https://www.essentiallysports.com/wta-tennis-news-twenty-oneyo-coco-gauff-makes-bold-french-open-confession-after-consecutive-crushing-clay-losses/)[](https://777score.com/news/tennis/2568301-coco-gauff-reflects-on-double-faults-ahead-of-french-open-challenge)
Despite the heartbreaks, Gauff’s clay pedigree—runner-up at Roland Garros 2022 and junior champion in 2018—fuels her belief in a deep run. She hopes “third time’s a charm” after two clay final losses, per Reuters. Posts on X, like @SkySportsTennis, highlight her mental strength, with Laura Robson noting she’s “looking stronger than ever.” However, some fans, like @DrTumi, expressed concern about her serve, calling it a potential liability. Gauff remains unfazed, citing Daniil Medvedev’s perspective: “It’s better to lose in finals than the first round,” per @TennisONEApp.[](https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/gauff-hopes-get-third-time-lucky-french-open-after-losing-two-finals-clay-2025-05-18/)
With Iga Swiatek still a contender despite inconsistent clay form, per Gauff’s comments on Ubitennis.net, and Aryna Sabalenka favored at +225 odds, Gauff’s +650 odds reflect her as a top contender, per Oddspedia. Her ability to channel recent setbacks into confidence makes her a serious threat in Paris.[]
