Coco Gauff was unable to shake off the setbacks suffered pre-tournament as her US Open title defense was abruptly ended in the fourth round.
The 20-year-old arrived at the US Open last year in red-hot form, fresh off the back of titles in Washington and Cincinnati. Gauff then produced an awe-inspiring run to clinch the title, rallying back to stun Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
However, Gauff was a shadow of her former self when touching down on US soil this year, with question marks starting to arise over how she would fare.
The American made light work of the opening rounds before producing a thrilling comeback over Elina Svitolina, but her campaign came to an end at the hands of compatriot Emma Navarro in the last 16.
It was the serve that eluded Gauff as she hit 19 double faults on the way to a three-set defeat.
Kim Clijsters says what Coco Gauff must do to improve technique
Coco Gauff will have a bitter taste left in her mouth due to the manner in which she let the match, and her title defense, slip away from her.
However, former US Open champion Andy Roddick claimed her fourth-round exit could actually benefit her, and this might just be the positive outlook she needs to bounce back.
Three-time winner in New York, Kim Clijsters, is now the latest ex-pro to offer her thoughts on Gauff’s ‘issue’ and how best to address it.
“It also seeps through to the other parts of your game as well,” Clijsters said on the ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘ podcast.
“Once you have that doubt when you start the point with the serve, you know your next shot is going to be… it’s just not the same.
“It’s unfortunate but we’ve all had to develop, we’ve all had to learn. Look at Sabalenka before how she struggled with her serve at times and I think with Coco it’s a little bit more… It’s not the yips as such I think it’s a little bit more of a technique issue here and there.
“She’s been able to win a lot of matches. Imagine how good she can be. When I watch her I think there’s still so much more growth to be done for her. She can improve so much more still.”
Gauff must bounce back after US Open
Gauff has been forced to deal with setbacks throughout her fledgling career, despite competing at the at tour level for some years.
Madison Keys praised Gauff for the maturity she possesses and the way she carries herself at such a young age, and it is this maturity that will now be required to dig her out of the hole she finds herself in.
Gauff must identify the issue and work on fixing it in time for a strong finish to the season. She has now slipped to sixth in the Race to the WTA Finals and could be in danger of missing a spot to Riyadh in November.
However, there is no doubt that Gauff’s bravery will shine through once more and she will be able to overcome this latest setback.
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