Coco Gauff's second serve and forehand are the two weakest parts of her game, and Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, gave his thoughts about those issues on social media.
The 20-year-old's achievements, despite those weaknesses, show how good the rest of her game is. Gauff's mentality and ability in other areas saw her memorably win the title at last year's US Open.
She secured the title at Flushing Meadows shortly after hiring Brad Gilbert as her coach. Gilbert also enjoyed success with Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, and Gauff's fans hoped he would fix the issues in her game.
Unfortunately, 2024 has not gone as either Gauff or Gilbert hoped. The former world No. 2 reached the Australian and French Open semifinals, but her form since the grass-court season has been poor by her high standards.
Gauff and Gilbert announced their separation on Wednesday after 14 months together. The move was amicable on both sides, and they wished each other well for the future.
Fans are intrigued to find out who Gauff's new coach will be. Patrick Mouratoglou is not an option after Naomi Osaka began working with the Frenchman for the rest of 2024.
However, Wim Fissette, who Osaka split with to hire Mouratoglou, is available. The Belgian won two Grand Slam titles with Osaka and the 2018 Wimbledon Championships with the recently retired Angelique Kerber.
Gauff will have a more extended off-season to build a relationship with her next coach after she decided not to represent Team USA at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Her compatriot Danielle Collins will retire at the event, though.
Macci is a hall-of-fame tennis coach because of his excellent track record. He is not considered one of the front runners to take over from Gilbert, but perhaps he should.
Macci has trained Venus Williams, her sister Serena, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati. Those players reached No. 1 in the rankings during their illustrious careers.
The American coach says a science-based approach is the best way to fix Gauff's issues. He also praised the 20-year-old as a winner and believes she can overcome her problems.
"Coco is winner. She knows how to survive and understands the geometry of the court. She needs 100% biomechanical modifications to reprogram the reflexes. Has to be science based."
Macci feels Gauff's serve will be easier to fix than her forehand because it contains no running. However, he thinks the forehand needs to be radically changed, which may not be as simple to implement.
"The serve is an 360 degree Easy Fix as there is no running. Forehand has to be brand new ATP. Time is her Best Friend and her serve and forehand can become her two Best Friends if she takes the Time and addresses this correctly."
Gauff will likely hire a different coach, but listening to Macci's advice would not be unwise. He has a wealth of experience as a coach, and his successful work with five different former world No. 1s proves he understands the game.
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