Coco Gauff is ruling the headlines but not for a good reason. Not only did she present poor serve skill on clay surfaces, but her huge double faults disappointed fans a lot. Although this reigning US Open champion reached Rome’s semifinals, tennis fans termed her success as “ugly winning.” Now, coming to his junior’s rescue, Andy Roddick explains a significant reason why Gauff is “battling” to showcase her best form on the tours recently.

In his podcast Served with Andy Roddick, this American tennis legend pointed out Coco Gauff’s inconsistency with her serve despite a strong performance in the Rome semi-final. “Coco had a great semi in Rome. You are kinda searching for something a little bit. Hit the forehand as well as I have seen her hit it,” said Roddick. While her first serve appears to be improving, her second serve remains a concern.

“Serve is still a bit, her first service actually a lot better in Rome. Second serve is still, you know, she is battling.” Roddick added. He further dug deeper into Gauff’s mental situation and said, “I think she is battling a bit of a mental issue on the serve and you know you can do it in practice. But doing it in under the lights is a different deal.”

However, Roddick believed that “She had it before. Like the last tournament she played in Cancun last year, she had 25 double faults in one match in  November of last year. She will find it, but the ability for her to get through the tournaments and be the top players even if obviously she was struggling with something is phenomenal.”  Here is a quick peek at how Gauff’s performance has been affected due to her technical errors in faults and serve: –

• Miami Open: Gauff’s loose groundstrokes in the first and third sets hindered her performance against Garcia in the round of 16 match. She lost her serve early in the two sets she lost, creating a disadvantage. Under pressure, Gauff’s forehands and backhands often sailed long, causing unforced errors. Despite multiple break opportunities in the third set, Gauff couldn’t capitalize, leading to further disappointment.
• Stuttgart Open: Coco Gauff survived seven match points on Friday, April 19, but was unable to hold off an eighth, losing to Marta Kostyuk 3-6 6-4 7-6(6) in two hours and forty-eight minutes.
• Madrid Open: Gauff committed nearly a third of her 38 unforced errors during the match, totaling 13 double faults.
• Italian Open: After accumulating 35 double faults in three matches, Gauff racked up another 11 double faults while bagging a victory over Paula Badosa (5-7, 6-4, 6-1).

‘Performance-Plus Tennis,’ a YT channel, recently talked about Coco’s serve and her performance in Rome in 2024. They highlighted a shocking number concerning the World No. 3’s faulty second serve: 41 double faults in 4 matches. While she played quite well in the Italian Open quarterfinals, Gauff still accumulated 6 Double Faults. Although she had a 67% first-serve percentage, the speaker believes “her serve is definitely a topic of discussion.”

Moreover, Gauff has committed a staggering 213 double faults in 2024 so far, a significantly higher number compared to any other player in the top 100. This inconsistency with her serve has raised questions and sparked discussions about potential solutions to improve her game. In fact, Gauff has also revealed improvising and working on her playstyle to not repeat Rome’s failure in Paris.

Coco Gauff confirms “working on” her serving skills before the second Grand Slam event

A strong serve is a key advantage in tennis, but US Open champion Coco Gauff has encountered difficulties with her delivery during the clay-court season. Leading up to the Italian Open, she averaged nearly 10 double faults per match on the slower surface. Despite this challenge, Gauff managed to overcome 11 double faults in her three-set victory over Paula Badosa in Rome’s R16. The 20-year-old expressed optimism for improvement before the French Open.

Gauff has started working with her famous coach, Brad Gilbert, to not disappoint her fans in the 2024 Roland Garros. “I’ve been working on it, I think today, even though the double-faults were there, I think it was still a better performance than it was last [match]. I think for me the focus will be getting more first serves in, I’m going big on the first serve, so I know I’m probably going to miss more. I think it’s just finding the balance of going big but also knowing when to slow down the pace just to get the serve in,” said Gauff, the 2022 Roland Garros runner-up, to reporters.

Even before the Italian Open, she also addressed the same issue “I think for me it’s just serving better than I did last week, honestly.” Gauff said that she needs to work on her serve, which has been erratic at times, even if she has demonstrated strength in other areas of her game.

Andy Roddick’s support for Coco Gauff showcases the love junior players receive from their seniors. Despite the criticisms, Andy Roddick’s support helps to shift Gauff’s fans’ minds to positivity so that they cheer for their star and help her win in Paris.

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