An outpouring of criticism came Coco Gauff’s way after the defending US Open champion bowed out in three sets to compatriot Emma Navarro on Sunday.
Coco Gauff isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to struggle on serve. Getting over it however is far harder than it looks.
As serves sailed wide, out, and short, it’s a memory that might unfortunately haunt Gauff for a while, even when she thinks she’s far past it.
Alexander Zverev’s US Open title was snatched away by what ended up being a mental block on his second serve and Gauff’s hopes of a successful retention were ended in similar style.
They started early, with three in her opening service game, and as always painfully happens, ramped up towards the end, hitting 11 in the third set alone, for a total of 19. She ended up hitting more double faults than winners in a painful three sets.
Any chance that the defending champion had of avenging a similarly wayward loss to Emma Navarro at Wimbledon, were destroyed by a litany of errors.
Gauff addressed what Navarro did on her second serve to disrupt it, however with nearly 20 free points given away, opponents will know exactly how to frustrate and waylay the American’s serve.
Andy Roddick tells Coco Gauff to copy Aryna Sabalenka’s serve recovery process
Last year’s finalist Aryna Sabalenka experienced a lengthy struggle with her serve over the past two years.
A collapse in form in 2022 saw her service motion implode to a point where she was forced to consider rolling the ball in underarm at a tournament in Adelaide after notching up 21 double faults.
Sabalenka served an astonishing 428 double faults in 55 matches averaging below 59.7% on her first serve.
Having returned the following year to Australia and won the title in Melbourne, Roddick suggested on his aptly named ‘Served’ podcast: “This is what I am telling [Coco] if I’m Brad Gilbert [Gauff’s coach]. Literally one of your biggest tennis rivals, we have completely forgotten.
“Sabalenka didn’t have the hype machine of a Coco and it wasn’t on full display for mainstream New York to watch. But Sabalenka had the yips [on serve] in a terrible way.
“She had full blown serving yips to the point where Coco was at least hitting it square, Sabalenka was hitting it off the frame! It was like she had given up on hope,” he recalled.
“She went back and came back the next off season before she won her first Australian Open and it was like she did the work. She retooled. She made adjustments. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. It’s really hard for an elite athlete to say I need to rebuild this. But if I’m Coco I am looking at Sabalenka and saying I am closer than a lot of people think on this.”
What have others advised Coco Gauff to do after her US Open defeat?
Pundit Jon Wertheim revealed what a player told him Gauff should do after the defeat, with concerns over her serve mounting up.
While Gauff’s certainly not enjoyed an ideal hard court season in preparation for the US Open, the manner in which she exited is deeply concerning.
A number of Gauff fans suggested she should get a new coach, with many insisting that fundamental issues would not remain solved without a fundamental change from the 20-year-old American.
Nick Kyrgios even offered to coach Gauff, with the Australian player-turned-pundit known for his powerful serve.
While undoubtedly Gauff knows that several things will have to be addressed after the US Open, it remains to be seen whether she might pander to the pressure and get a new coach.
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