Coco Gauff served 44 double faults at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Her serve was as bad as ever, making errors at crucial moments throughout the tournament.
The American fought hard, but the rest of her game couldn’t make up for her serving collapse, as Gauff lost a classic semifinal to Elina Svitolina, 4-6, 7-6, [15-13], 4-6.
Prove us wrong…
Several tennis legends have shared their thoughts on Gauff’s serve over recent months, providing solutions to what is clearly the problem area of her game.
One former Grand Slam champion, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, has now weighed in.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov questions Coco Gauff’s training after serving collapse in Dubai
During the latest episode of ‘Hard Court‘, two-time major winner Kafelnikov said the following about Gauff’s serve.
“It’s a mystery to me how someone with such experience can make such mistakes,” he said.
“I have a question right away: How is the training structured?
“I’m committed to the fact that I’m absolutely certain that quantity turns into quality.
“If you serve, roughly speaking, 1,000 serves, you’ll fine-tune it.”
The Russian wonders if Gauff is doing enough in training to address the problem.
Coco Gauff’s serving stats in Dubai
| Match | Sets | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| SF vs Elina Svitolina | 3 | 2 | 12 | 62% | 64% | 59% |
| QF vs Alex Eala | 2 | 1 | 8 | 54% | 77% | 64% |
| 3R vs Elise Mertens | 3 | 1 | 16 | 43% | 75% | 46% |
| 2R vs Anna Kalinskaya | 2 | 4 | 12 | 77% | 64% | 80% |
| Tournament average | 2.5 | 2 | 12 | 59% | 70% | 62% |
Kafelnikov’s fellow Russian, and former world number three, Elena Dementieva, was also keen to share her thoughts.
“The problem here is not only her serve, but also her forehand, which is failing,” she said.
“Now, she’s playing only with her backhand, incredible physical fitness, and character.
“She relies on those three pillars, but it’s very difficult at her level.
“She’s one of those vying for the number one spot.”
Gauff has never been ranked number one in the world, and currently trails Aryna Sabalenka by almost 4,000 points.
Live WTA Rankings
- 1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,675 points
- 2. Iga Swiatek – 7,588 points
- 3. Elena Rybakina – 7,253 points
- 4. Coco Gauff – 6,803 points
- 5. Jessica Pegula – 6,583 points
- 6. Amanda Anisimova – 6,070 points
- 7. Jasmine Paolini – 4,047 points
- 8. Mirra Andreeva – 4,001 points
- 9. Elina Svitolina – 3,845 points
- 10. Victoria Mboko – 3,211 points
If she still dreams of taking the top spot, she’ll need to fix her serve.
What Coco Gauff was heard saying about her serve during Dubai defeat
Hitting a double fault against Svitolina in the Dubai semifinals, Gauff was heard complaining about her serve.
“I’ve been doing everything you’ve wanted for the last six months, and it’s not getting any better,” she shouted at her coaching box.
Gauff hired serving expert Gavin MacMillan ahead of the 2025 US Open, having struggled with the shot at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open.
Some improvements were made early on, leading to a title in Wuhan, but the serve was far from perfect.
Six months into her coaching relationship with MacMillan, Gauff’s serve remains an issue.
Therefore, the question must be asked: What has he done?
Hired to fix the problem, MacMillan, with all due respect, has failed.
With Gauff seemingly losing faith, too, it’s surely only a matter of time before they part ways.
But, given that she hasn’t made a change over the last week, it seems unlikely that Gauff will split from MacMillan before the ‘Sunshine Double’ WTA 1000 events (Indian Wells and the Miami Open).
Perhaps those two tournaments will decide MacMillan’s future.
A deep run or a title for Gauff, and maybe he’ll stay on.
Another early exit, or notably poor serving display, and he could be given his P45.
Only time will tell how Gauff will perform at her next two tournaments, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Indian Wells event begins on Wednesday, March 4.
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