Coco Gauff is once again finding herself striving for a consistent run at a tournament.
Since winning the WTA Finals at the end of 2024, it’s been a barren time of things to begin the new year and for a player with her potential that simply won’t do.
Belinda Bencic noticed something about Gauff when beating her at Indian Wells that wasn’t quite right and her confidence is suffering somewhat.
Gauff has won a single US Open and at 21-years-old time is absolutely on her side to win more of the game’s big titles in the years to come.
Gauff admitted that things went awry against Bencic and the Miami Open offers an immediate chance to get straight back on track.
Rennae Stubbs shares what Gauff will struggle with her whole career
Gauff is working alongside coach Matt Daly at the moment and together they’re preparing to face Sofia Kenin on Friday.
The Miami Open will provide Gauff with a chance to get back on track and she will be hoping to silence some of the doubters that are crawling out of the woodwork.
Stubbs has been sharing some concerns over Gauff’s game on her latest podcast and she believes there will be one aspect that she always struggles with.
The Australian said on The Rennae Stubbs Podcast: “Coco is unique because when she’s great, she is so great. Unfortunately, she’s talked about it in the press, I started the year really well, United Cup, all of these things.
“But I will say again, her technique fails under pressure and when you’re playing outside – a lot of her success last year and even at the beginning of this year was played indoors – there’s no wind or variables.
“When you have a technique that is questionable at times, whether it be the second serve and the service motion, and the service grip, all that sort of stuff and the forehand, it affects your game more.
“I adore Coco Gauff, I think she is the nicest kid, she is so personal when you see her. We get along really well and talk and I hate talking about her critically because she is such a special person.
“But it is my job to try and teach people why she doesn’t have the success they think she should and that’s why. Her technique on her forehand is always going to be a problem for her going forehand. So it’s a matter of can she get over those humps. Can she get through the tough three-set match, which she didn’t last week? We will see.
“She is going to have unbelievable support in Miami. And maybe this is the breakthrough she needs going into the clay, which we know she plays well on.
“It is a work in progress. It is going to be a work in progress with the serve and her forehand for the rest of her career. And when she loses that is why she is going to lose, that’s why we always talk about it.”
Gauff thinks she knows why she gets criticised
It’s easy to forget that Gauff burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old and the American thinks that has something to do with the critique she gets.
She told Punto de Break last year: “I think people are very critical of me, maybe because of how I burst onto the scene.
“However, I see it as a compliment; maybe they’re just critical of those who they believe can do better, so I just try to improve.”
Stubbs never made the grade as a singles performer, reaching a career-high of 64 in the world rankings and never failing to get beyond round two of a Grand Slam.
She was a doubles specialist, however, and won three of the four Grand Slam titles, making her credible when it comes to offering Gauff some advice.
The youngster has so much tennis left to play that her technique may improve over time and it’s almost certain that Gauff will win more big titles in her career.
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