Coco Gauff’s ongoing issues with her serve were back in the spotlight after a three-set loss to Jessica Pegula at the WTA Finals.
The American hit 17 double faults and finished the match with 75 unforced errors in her 3-6, 7-6, 2-6 defeat to Pegula.
She had worked with biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan, who previously helped Aryna Sabalenka address similar problems. Gauff appeared to be making progress, as she hadn’t recorded double-digit double faults in a match since the US Open.
Gauff appeared to have steadied things for a while and hadn’t reached double-digit double faults in any match since the US Open.
However, her performance against Pegula has raised fresh concerns about whether those improvements will last. Even so, American tennis coach Rick Macci believes there are still positives to take away.
Rick Macci says: ‘This is the best I have seen Coco and the serve’
Rick Macci, who previously worked with Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova, shared his thoughts on Gauff’s serve after her match against Pegula. Despite Gauff’s issues during the game, Macci sees improvement in her first serve and expects the double faults to decrease over time.
Taking to X [Twitter], Macci wrote: “Unreal improvement in Coco and the first serve. Mentally now she can pull the trigger and go bigger. Left arm is in the optimal position on the right side of the face now her left side is more stable and can deliver a 125 mph ace.
“Coco is playing the long game. Under pressure, the Delray Dart is learning by uncorking the first serve instead of rolling it in like past as a band-aid.
“She is going big 24/7 and will get more free lunches in bunches. Her technique and mentality on a first serve are night and day.”
“This is the best I have seen Coco and serve. Major technical modifications were encouraged like never before.
“The doubles [double faults] will slowly go down, she will be even tougher to beat.”
Coco Gauff’s next WTA Finals match schedule
The world number three has split her six matches with Paolini so far, though she did take their most recent meeting at last year’s Wuhan Open in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
This year’s WTA Finals are being played on hard courts in Riyadh after several years on outdoor surfaces across Asia. Last season, Gauff beat Iga Swiatek in Mexico City to claim her second major title.
Macci highlights one area Pegula can improve
Rick Macci has also shared his thoughts on Jessica Pegula, suggesting she could reach new heights by incorporating more slice into her game.
“Pegula can go to another level if she would [use] her slice more and make others hit up then she can use some of the best ball striking on the tour to win even more,” Macci said.
Pegula’s next match is against Aryna Sabalenka, who has already locked up the year-end world No. 1 ranking for a second straight season.
Pegula will then wrap up her group-stage matches against Jasmine Paolini.
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