Gauff and the turning point with her serve: "I felt that I didn't want to waste any more time"
The American confesses that she hired Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist, days before the start of the US Open, which resulted in her "learning a new language" with her serve.
Coco Gauff has had a 2025 full of ups and downs. It will be a year she will always remember for her title at Roland Garros after an epic final against Aryna Sabalenka, but also for her drop in performance at Wimbledon and the North American hard-court swing. However, in this Asian swing, she seems to have rediscovered her game by winning the WTA Wuhan title and aiming for the WTA Finals, where she defends her title.
Despite Coco Gauff's rollercoaster year in terms of results, there was one aspect of her game where she hit rock bottom: the serve. At the WTA Montreal, she made 23 double faults in a single match. Therefore, she decided to address the problem head-on and just before the start of the US Open, she hired Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist who previously worked with Aryna Sabalenka to improve her serve. She discussed the mental and tennis impact of this technique change, as well as her successful Asian swing before the WTA Finals, in an interview with The National.
An extremely positive Asian swing
"Initially I thought about not coming, simply due to the mental aspect, but I didn't want to end my year that way. I am pleased with how I played, and even when things got tough, I believed in myself and trusted my instincts. Winning the Wuhan tournament the way I did gives me a lot of confidence. It shows me that I have the level to be the player I want to become. And I hope to continue on this path."
Coco Gauff and the serve issues she sought to address
"I felt I didn't want to waste any more time. I knew I had to make a quick decision because I knew I would be in high demand. It was like learning a new language. Obviously, the US Open was really tough for me mentally, but I definitely think it was the right decision, even though maybe I didn't get the result I expected. But in the long run, I will look back and be happy I made that decision at that time."
Pressure felt at the US Open due to the serve change
"I made a change in my training and knowing that everyone was looking at the serving aspect of my game, I felt the pressure of suddenly having a completely new serve in four days, which I knew wasn't possible, but I think a lot of people expected it."
Content with her new serve
"Now, how I feel about my serve, I feel it's better, and I'm not making as many double faults as before. I think it was nice to have that experience, even though I felt terrible at the time, but I feel those things make you stronger, and in a few years, I'll always be able to remember that experience and how I managed to overcome those initial matches."
The serve issue was not related to any mental aspect
"I feel with my serve, I received a lot of comments and opinions, and I tried things that didn't work. I'm a very logical person, and I felt this was the best way for everything to make sense. Many people thought it was mental and things like that, but I knew in my case it wasn't, because I feel I am one of the mentally strongest players on the circuit."
Evidence of progression is already noticeable
"When I found someone who gave me a real solution, it made a huge difference. And then it was just about trusting and putting in the effort. I didn't have much time to do it; I'm still working on it, but I definitely think the stats from the recent tournaments have shown improvement since I started."
Drawing inspiration from Novak Djokovic's example
"I watched Novak, and he was someone who didn't have a great serve at the beginning of his career; obviously, a different issue from mine, but he just wasn't serving with the same power. He made that change and became the player we all know. Even at that time, he was still a successful player."
"Just seeing other players making changes like you is inspiring because tennis is won by small margins, and those small differences make a big impact. And I know that if I want to reach the level I aim for, I need to make such changes," concludes Coco Gauff, who, having addressed the serve issue, aims to make it another weapon in her arsenal of shots.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff y el punto de inflexión con su servicio: "Sentí que no quería perder más tiempo"