Jim Courier claims he noticed something ‘very concerning’ about Coco Gauff during her Italian Open final defeat to Jasmine Paolini

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Coco Gauff was looking to secure her third win over Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 Italian Open final.

The 21-year-old enjoyed the better of the early proceedings of her rivalry with Paolini, winning at the Adelaide International in 2021 and at the Cincinnati Open in 2023.

Bouncing back, Paolini beat Gauff in straight sets at last month’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, 6-4, 6-3.

Having secured one clay win over the American, Paolini was keen to add a second and did just that in the Italian Open final, lifting the title in front of her adoring home fans on Stadio Centrale.

Gauff didn’t play close to her best tennis against Paolini, as she lost her second WTA 1000 final on clay in two weeks.

Speaking after the match, former world number one Jim Courier claimed he noticed something ‘very concerning’ about Gauff’s game during the final.

Jim Courier was ‘very concerned’ with the unforced errors coming from Coco Gauff’s forehand in the final

During his post-match analysis, Courier gave his verdict on Gauff’s 4-6, 2-6 Italian Open final defeat.

“Her first serve percentage was very low today (53%). A lot of double faults (7),” he said.

“But it was all about the forehand. On the forehand, she had 33 unforced errors on that shot alone. 

“You would need a really big shovel to fill that hole in. It’s something that is very concerning because you don’t want that to happen at the biggest moment, which is what happened here.”

The four-time Major champion then shared what he found ‘surprising’ in the final.

“She has been so good and so resilient this tournament and in Madrid as well, in being able to fight her way through matches like this, so I did not expect that the second set would be even easier than the first set,” said Courier.

“I thought this match was going to get tough and tight, maybe [Jasmine] Paolini would start to feel the moment, but she did not seem to have any bobbles at the finish line and Coco [Gauff] came out a little bit flatter from an emotional stand point than, perhaps, any of us were expecting.”

Courier also suggested that the crowd in Rome may have disrupted Gauff’s communication with her coaching team.

“[We saw] frustration which you do not often see in the second set,” he said.

“She was very frustrated with her team. They were trying to help her, and it’s noisy in there.

“I’m not sure she could understand what they were saying.”

2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick weighed in with his thoughts, praising Paolini for a brilliant tactical performance.

“She just played a clean match from start to finish,” said Roddick.

“She was very, very good at creating space to the forehand and only then attacking the backhand side when she had created a massive amount of space.

“Coco did not get a lot of rallies backhand to backhand, which she would have preferred. That was not an accident by Jasmine Paolini. 

“I thought she played a great match, execution wise and it was a sound strategic match as well.”

Paolini and Gauff will now rest up ahead of the French Open, a tournament they’ll both enter with genuine title ambitions.

Who are the favorites for this year’s French Open tournament?

The Italian and American will certainly be among the favorites in Paris next month, but who else will be in contention?

When looking down the list of previous Roland Garros champions, one name certainly stands out, even if she hasn’t had the best of times in 2025.

Poland’s Iga Swiatek will take to the court at the French Open as a three-time defending champion and big favorite.

There are some major concerns for the 23-year-old, however, as she hasn’t looked anywhere near her best in 2025.

Swiatek’s loss to Danielle Collins in the third round of this year’s Italian Open was a defeat you would’ve struggled to believe 12 months ago, but has become all too common in 2025.

Such defeats have led some to suggest Madrid Open champion Aryna Sabalenka could now be the favorite to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup.

Sabalenka is a three-time Major champion, and while the world number one has yet to win in Paris, you’d be brave betting against her doing so this time around.

Paolini and Gauff have inserted themselves into the conversation recently, whilst former champions Barbora Krejcikova and Jelena Ostapenko are also worth watching out for.

Only time will tell who will come away with the trophy, as the stars of women’s tennis finish up their pre-tournament preparations before the French Open begins on Sunday, May 25.