Coco Gauff ready to copy rival with behind the scenes appointment after US Open heartache
Coco Gauff reflected on her disappointing loss at the US Open.
Coco Gauff is keen to copy Aryna Sabalenka by hiring a specific coach to help with her serve.
The world No. 3 hit 19 double faults during her fourth-round defeat to Emma Navarro at the US Open.
Afterwards, Gauff said she wanted to get an outside opinion on the shot and admitted her struggles could be mental.
Sabalenka famously hired a biomechanics coach to help with the shot in 2022. The Belarusian was notorious for her serving yips and double faults but quickly turned things around after appointing a new voice to her team. Since then, she has won two Grand Slam titles in Australia.
After her serve abandoned her during her US Open defeat on Sunday, Gauff was asked whether she would consider doing the same. “Yeah. I mean, for sure. Yeah, I definitely want to get other opinions,” the 20-year-old replied.
“Because, you know – and also I think it’s sometimes more of an emotional, mental thing because if I go out on the practice court right now, I would make, like, 30 serves in a row. I’ve done it before.”
But Gauff also believes there could be an emotional influence on her serving troubles. She added: “I think it’s also just kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over when it comes with that. But, yeah, I definitely want to look at other things because I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore.”
Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert also addressed the problem on ESPN after her defeat and echoed her sentiment that it could be a mental lapse. It’s funny, we go to the practice courts and it’s fine,” he explained.
“Hasn’t been a problem but all of a sudden – you know, listen, for me the most important thing that gotta get right is being able, when you are in a situation, is being able to hit one speed. It’s like, okay, just hit 85 [mph] in the middle of the box, a working serve and then move on.”
After reaching her third straight US Open quarter-final, Sabalenka reflected on her decision to appoint the specialist. “Like two years ago I started to work with a biomechanic guy in Cincinnati, I believe,” she recalled.
“Already in Cincinnati things are start working quite well, and then at the US Open I was kind of brave enough to go for those kind of, like, at that moment uncomfortable serves for me. Like the second serve. I just told myself, okay, I just got to go through it. Like, I got to face this fear.
“I got to just serve and see what happens and let the player play an extra shot, you know. I would say that at the US Open things clicked. I just played the match. I remember facing just the fear of double faulting at the US Open. I was, like, Okay, whatever. I mean, I made those double faults a lot. Like, I double fault, whatever. It’s nothing new for everybody. I’ll just go for it, and I have to face my fear.”
