Coco Gauff has experienced an interesting start to her 2026 season to say the least, most recently playing at the Australian Open.
Gauff lost in the Australian Open quarterfinals, with the third seed suffering a shock 6-1, 6-2 defeat to Elina Svitolina.
Clearly frustrated by her performance in Melbourne, Gauff was caught smashing her racket en route to the locker room, which has led to player privacy concerns.
The ultimately disappointing run followed her efforts at the United Cup, where Gauff impressed in both singles and doubles before the USA’s exit in the semifinals.
Do players need to be given more privacy at the Australian Open?
Coco Gauff continues double fault woes into 2026
Gauff has dropped to fifth in the world rankings following the Grand Slam, falling two places after her quarterfinal exit.
But there is a much bigger concern for the American in these early stages of the 2026 season, in which she’s played two tournaments.
From her nine matches across the United Cup and Australian Open, Gauff has recorded a total of 52 double faults.
Worryingly, that figure means that the 21-year-old is already at the very top of the list for double faults on the WTA Tour in 2026.
| Year | Double faults | Rank |
| 2026 | 52 | 1st |
| 2025 | 431 | 1st |
| 2024 | 430 | 1st |
And it is absolutely not a new problem for the American, who finished top of that unwanted list in both 2024 and 2025.
There would have been hope that the issue would have been somewhat resolved by now, particularly given her appointment of biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan.
But the double fault problems have already come back to haunt her this season, which is not a good sign for the rest of her 2026.
Are you worried about Coco Gauff in 2026?
How has Coco Gauff served in 2026 so far?
It is certainly worth looking at the whole serving picture with Gauff, who shouldn’t be happy about leading the way for double faults.
But her lack of aces may also be a cause for concern, with the two-time Grand Slam champion hitting just nine from her nine matches.
Having played just one match more, Elena Rybakina has hit 75 aces, with the Australian Open champion leading the way in that regard.
| Matches | Aces | Double faults | 1st serve | 1st serve points | 2nd serve points | Serve points won | Break point | Service games won |
| 9 | 9 | 52 | 66.2 % | 68.8% | 41.1% | 59.4% | 45.8% | 70.1% |
The off-season was a fantastic chance for Gauff to really step up her serving efforts, but for now she’s still some way off where she needs to be to continuously compete with the very best.
Of course, it won’t happen overnight, so patience is definitely required for her fans and indeed Gauff herself.
Moreover, she’s still very young at 21 and has time to improve, and significantly is among the WTA players with the best mental strength.
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