Coco Gauff Advised To Use 'Science-Based' Approach To Fix Her Issues

After her loss at the 2025 Canadian Open, Coco Gauff received clear advice from Hall-of-Fame coach Rick Macci, who used to work with Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Less than two months ago, Gauff celebrated winning her maiden French Open title and second Grand Slam overall. She recovered from losing the opening set against Aryna Sabalenka to reign supreme in Paris.

Sometimes, iconic career moments lead to a player enduring a slump in form, which has happened to Gauff. The American lost in the opening round of the 2025 Berlin Open and 2025 Wimbledon Championships after the French Open.

Despite grinding out tough victories against Danielle Collins and Veronika Kudermetova at the Canadian Open, Gauff was still nowhere close to her best in those matches. Against Collins, she struck a career-high 23 double faults.

Victoria Mboko took full advantage of Gauff's reduced level to triumph 6-1, 6-4 in front of a jubilant home crowd in Montreal. The teenager focused on staying solid in the rallies and waiting for mistakes.

Although the 21-year-old was soundly beaten, Gauff's second serve did not leak as many double faults as her opening two matches. Instead, she made repeated unforced errors on the forehand side.

Gauff's second serve and forehand have been her most significant issues for many years. Possessing those weaknesses while still being a multiple-time Grand Slam champion and the world No. 2 shows how formidable the rest of her game is.

In a post on X, Macci argued that Gauff needs to focus on implementing a plan to improve those problematic shots. He advocates a scientific approach to the second serve, something the 70-year-old has previously called for.

Last year, Macci argued that a biometric approach could resolve Gauff's second-serve issues in less than an hour. That is a bold claim, but the coaching legend has the CV to justify his words.

Matt Daly, who replaced Brad Gilbert after the 2024 US Open as Gauff's coach, has had a positive impact and played an important role in her winning the French Open and the 2024 WTA Finals.

However, fixing Gauff's second serve problems has proved challenging. How late in the 2024 season he joined meant Daly could not be blamed for her leading last year's WTA double fault count, but she is top again in 2025, with less than half the season remaining.

Although Gauff has endured some unpleasant trolling online, she also has one of the most dedicated and loyal fanbases in sport, who will continue to support her through good and bad times, including any serve and forehand issues over the coming years.

Gauff takes steps to stay connected with her fans and show gratitude to them. An example was the emotional social media post she made thanking those who bought any of the signature shoes she released with New Balance.