Just over six months ago, Coco Gauff felt that the hard work she was putting in with her serve was not paying off, but the tide appears to have turned as things clicked at the Cincinnati Open, giving her a big boost ahead of the US Open.
Gauff’s struggles with her serve have been widely discussed in tennis, and the problem was highlighted during her semi-final match against Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
After losing the opening set, Gauff served a double fault at 2-2 [15-15] in the second set and she turned to her players’ box and told biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan: “I’ve been doing everything you’ve wanted for the last six months, and it’s gotten not better at all, bro.”
MacMillan, of course, joined the American’s coaching team ahead of the 2025 US Open and the main goal was to help fix her serving woes.
Gauff clearly felt they were going nowhere at the time, but there was no talk about her serve during the Cincinnati final against Jessica Pegula as she won 6-2, 6-4, making only one double fault during the entire match.
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During an interview with WTATennis.com, the two-time Grand Slam champion admitted that her frustrations got the better of her in Dubai, but is confident she is on the right track.
“That was a tough moment for me, and I felt bad after I said it, but they’re understanding people [laughing]. They knew it was out a frustration, but that was a tough moment because I was like, ‘Bro, we’ve been working on it and it’s not getting better.’
“It was getting better, honestly, but it just didn’t feel like it in that moment. After the match, my coach said ‘No, you’re in the right track,’ especially JC [Faurel] because he’s been with me through the worst of my serve, and now he’s on the better half, better side of it.
“He says the double faults aren’t the same. Obviously they’re still double faults, but he’s like ‘You’re just improving.’ That gave me a good confidence that one day I will find it, and I feel now, I know that I can find it even if I throw two or something in a game. I know that I’m capable of finding Plan A again and at some point in the match.”
Gauff was not in a good space 12 months ago as she lost in the first round at Wimbledon before making the tough decision to replace Matt Daly – who joined her set-up in September 2024 and steered her to the 2025 French Open crown – with MacMillan.
But there was no quick fix as she lost in the fourth round at the US Open.
The mood is different this year as she will start the season-ending Grand Slam high on confidence following her success at Cincinnati.
“I think last year, I was just frustrated with my game and I felt like I was declining. It’s not something any player wants to feel,” she said during her post-match press conference in Ohio.
“You always want to feel like you’re getting better or, at the worst, just plateauing. So last year I was in a weird predicament. I made sudden decisions that most people probably wouldn’t do before a Slam, but I think it was worth it. I feel like it’s night and day where I am from last year to now.”
