With the retirement of Serena Williams, American tennis saw her rightful heiress in Coco Gauff. Highly regarded as one of the upcoming stars, the 20-year-old has made a huge name for herself.

However, amidst the name and fame, one thing has been the talk of the town, her serve. With still a lot to conquer, she has been under massive limelight owing to her biggest flaw. Opening up on the same, the 23-time grand slam winner’s childhood coach revealed how he could fix her.

Coco Gauff’s serving issues have become a talking point, especially after her US Open loss to world No. 12 Emma Navarro in the fourth round.

Gauff failed to defend her title, falling 3-6, 6-4, 3-6. Her struggles with serve consistency were evident as she made only 46% of her first serves and committed 19 double faults.

Serving woes have plagued the 20-year-old star throughout her career, with analysts often identifying it as an area needing significant improvement.

Rick Macci, the legendary childhood coach of Venus and Serena Williams, dissected the problem. He emphasized that Gauff’s right foot position is a major issue.

 “The position of her right foot is on the outside of the front foot, which is not optimal. The weight should be behind the right hip, but it is on the right groin. She can’t even load the body system properly or get the right weight on the back foot,” Macci explained.

A few modifications to change the whole landscape for Coco's serve. Watch this!#CocoGauff #TennisTips #ServeTechnique #AthleticPerformance #TennisAnalysis #SportsScience #TennisTraining #AthleteMindset #WinningServe #TennisSkills pic.twitter.com/a7ZfqsNHrx

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci)

December 8, 2024

To address this, Macci suggested a complete overhaul of her serve technique. “I would back the truck up further and change the whole serve. I would move from the pinpoint stance to a pure platform stance,” he advised.

At the US Open, earlier this year, Gauff managed to land only 51% of her first serves across four matches, falling short of the tournament average of 59%.

This puts her at a significant disadvantage. She also racked up 38 double faults in just 42 service games, averaging nearly one per game—an astonishing stat for a player of her skill level.

This flaw has cost Coco Gauff in high-stakes matches. For instance, at the Italian Open, she had 35 double faults in three matches, highlighting a consistent challenge.

Her forehand has also been a concern for analysts. Opening up on the same, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, talked about her chances at the Australian Open.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach opens up on Coco Gauff’s chances at the Australian Open while pointing out her biggest issue

Rennae Stubbs, former coach of Serena Williams, believes Coco Gauff is a strong contender for the Australian Open but identifies her serve as the key area requiring improvement. Speaking on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, she analyzed Gauff’s game and shared insights about what could enhance her performance in outdoor conditions.

“It will be interesting to see how going out of indoors – because we know playing indoors helps your serve,” Stubbs explained. “I want to see how she can handle that going outdoors, with the sun and elements, etc. If she can get a more consistent kick serve, that would be huge. That’s all she needs to work on, the serve.” Stubbs further emphasized the urgency of fixing this aspect: “Her biggest issue is the serve. If she is double-faulting, she is hurting herself big time. The forehand is getting better. That will be okay.”

via Imago

Stubbs remains optimistic about Gauff’s prospects. “I think she is a real threat at the Australian Open if that [the serve] is under control,” she added. Gauff ended 2024 as WTA world number three after winning titles in Auckland, Beijing, and Riyadh. With an undefeated 8-0 hard-court final record, she is sure to challenge Aryna Sabalenka as the dominant force on the surface.

Coming into the new year, she would love to keep her form going and try to stun everyone at the Australian Open. But, will she be able to do it? Do let us know in the comments below!