Mark Petchey thinks Coco Gauff has one area of her game that makes her a ‘liability’ which needs improving

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Coco Gauff was really disappointing in her attempted defence of the US Open title she triumphantly claimed in 2023.

However, few expected her to accomplish this feat, especially after the torrid Olympics she endured.

The sparkling poster girl for Americans at the event, she competed in the singles, mixed and ladies’ doubles all in the pursuit of gold.

Alas, it escaped her all across the board.

One former coach has now sought to explain what might be holding her back at the moment after such a tough run of form.

Mark Petchey slams Coco Gauff’s forehand

Seeking to review Coco Gauff‘s season, Mark Petchey, a former coach of both Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu, was less than impressed with the American despite admitting that she is one of the best in history in one area.

After all, for all the praise he handed her, it was laced with frustration at her inability to channel it into title-winning form.

He noted: ‘I think Coco will be disappointed with her season.

‘The problem with any success is that it buys you a bigger problem down the road when you don’t live up to the success the next year. But I’m afraid that’s the bar that the biggest stars in the game set themselves.

‘Coco is the lighthouse for American tennis, both on the men’s and the women’s side, despite Taylor Fritz doing so well, she’s going to have to live with that level of scrutiny, and it’s not going to be easy for her.

‘However, I think she handles it magnificently. I’m consistently blown away by her maturity in handling this situation for a player so young.

‘Coco certainly has some flaws in her game that are going to be found out and exposed against the very best in the game as we have seen this year.

‘However, sometimes she’s going to be able to mask them as she did when she won the US Open last year. It is a difficult situation for her, but she will only improve as she gets older and more experienced.

‘In my opinion, Coco Gauff is the best athlete that has ever played women’s tennis.

‘I say this despite her serve not being as reliable as you would like it to be for somebody so great, and her forehand at times can be a little bit of a liability, which she needs to work on.

‘Despite all this, it’s her athleticism that allows her to stay at the top, and the way that she competes even when she isn’t playing anywhere near her best tennis is off the charts.’

Coco Gauff has struggled throughout 2024

Starting the year off with a title in Brisbane had many thinking that Gauff was set to maintain her sparkling form which led to a maiden US Open title from 2023, but that proved not to be the case.

Instead, it marks the only trophy she has got her hands on since, admirably reaching the semi-finals on Melbourne and Roland Garros but failing to live up to expectations in almost all Masters 1000 events.

And, the deeper into 2024 we have gotten, the more she has struggled, with Emma Navarro, a fellow American, having twice dumped her out of the last Grand Slams too.

There have been questions over Brad Gilbert’s capabilities to progress Gauff as her coach following this poor run of form, and it will be interesting to see whether she can enjoy a strong end to the year to make up for her struggles.