Andy Roddick makes bold statement about 'amazing player' who could win a Grand Slam

The WTA Tour has several young talents to observe in 2026, but Andy Roddick picked a more experienced player among his Grand Slam favorites for next year.

In contrast to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's domination of the ATP Tour, women's tennis was very open in 2025. Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka all secured Grand Slam titles.

Some results outside of the Majors also generated attention. 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva won her first WTA 1000 titles at the 2025 Dubai Championships and the 2025 Indian Wells Open, and gave hilarious speeches thanking herself afterward.

Other notable moments included fellow teenager Victoria Mboko's stunning run to the 2025 Canadian Open title, Alexandra Eala reaching the 2025 Miami Open semifinal, and young Australian Maya Joint winning two titles.

Many are fascinated to observe how those emerging players progress in 2026. One player who received less attention was Karolina Muchova, who memorably made the 2023 French Open women's singles final before losing an epic battle against Iga Swiatek.

The 29-year-old's most notable moment this season was an appearance in the 2025 US Open quarterfinals. Naomi Osaka stopped her from reaching a third consecutive semifinal at Flushing Meadows.

Muchova was hampered by physical issues for some of the season. Unfortunately, that has been a consistent problem for the Czech, preventing her from fully utilizing her considerable talent on the most significant stages.

Despite that injury record and the WTA Tour's depth, Roddick thinks Muchova is among the Top 5 women's favorites to win a Grand Slam in 2026. He outlined that argument in an episode of his podcast.

Muchova is a fan favorite because of her superb playing style, which uses slices, drop shots, and net play. That type of game has become rarer in men's and women's tennis, meaning her matches are a refreshing change of pace.

In an episode of his podcast, Andy Roddick described what he thinks is so amazing about Coco Gauff. This year's French Open women's singles champion has endured persistent second serve and forehand problems.

The second serve is particularly troublesome. She served over 400 double faults in 2025 for the second consecutive season, and hired biomechanical coach Gavin MacMillan a few days before the US Open to help improve that shot.

Roddick thinks Gauff's achievements, despite those weaknesses, are outstanding. The former ATP world No. 1 marvels at how she digs in and scraps through matches against top opponents despite facing challenges.

The best examples of that were Gauff recovering from losing the opening set against Aryna Sabalenka in their US Open and French Open finals, and against Qinwen Zheng to win the 2024 WTA Finals.

If Gauff fixes her second serve and forehand, the 21-year-old could dominate women's tennis in the future.