Coco Gauff's second serve is the most problematic part of her game, but Andy Roddick is convinced she will overcome those struggles.
The most recent example of Gauff's second-serve issues was during the Wuhan Open semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka. Despite dominating the first set, the American still lost 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 after hitting 21 double faults during the contest.
That is the most double faults hit by any player in a WTA match in 2024. The scale of the problem is demonstrated by the WTA serving stats, which show Gauff has hit 391 double faults this year, more than any other player.
Frankly, it is incredible how many matches Gauff still manages to win despite that repeated issue. Before the tournament in Wuhan, she secured the second WTA-1000 title of her career at the China Open.
The 20-year-old's successes at those tournaments saw her rise to No. 3 in this week's rankings. Her rivals must be relieved by that troublesome second serve since Gauff's backhand, return, and athleticism are arguably the best in women's tennis.
Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, thinks those serving issues can be quickly fixed. Macci argues that a biomechanical approach could end Gauff's second-serve woes in less than one hour.
Roddick, who possessed one of the greatest serves in tennis history, is also confident that Gauff can resolve her serving issues. He also paid tribute to his compatriot for remaining so competitive.
"I don't think anyone would say any different and also she just went back up to No. 3 in the world with having dealt with these things all year which is crazy town."
"I think the rest of her game has become so much better than even it was a year ago that she will self-correct this at some point, I have full faith. I think she is committed to it, she is a hard worker."
The 2003 US Open champion elaborated further on his respect for Gauff's mentality, saying she responded impressively to questions being asked after splitting with coach Brad Gilbert last month to almost beat Sabalenka despite her serving problems.
"We're talking about Coco Gauff, I want to give credit where credit's due because the loss at the US Open, the 11 or 12 double faults in the third set, the questions post-Brad Gilbert, dealing with a lot of things to create a bit of a momentum set that even with the second serve rearing it's ugly head again against Sabalenka and almost winning that match,"
While Gauff's second serve is the most prominent issue in her game, the other part that sometimes breaks down is the 20-year-old's forehand, a shot she hits with an extreme grip.
Roddick acknowledged that Gauff's forehand needs some work, although that shot was already drastically improved during the Asian swing. Her new coach, Matt Daly, is known as an expert in grip changes, which may have helped.
"These two things are rarely said, they can rarely be true, someone has full-blown yips on one shot, probably has yips adjacent where there is some work to be done on the forehand."