“There’s so many little technical things” – Stubbs and Petkovic break down Coco Gauff’s service struggles
Former coach of Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs, has weighed in on Coco Gauff’s ongoing serve struggles, calling attention to technical flaws that could present long-term issues for the young star. Gauff recently ceded her spot as the top-ranked American to Jessica Pegula, slipping to World No. 4.
The 21-year-old had a tough run during the North American swing, particularly at Indian Wells, where despite reaching the fourth round, her serve raised serious concerns. Gauff racked up 38 double faults over three matches—including a staggering 21 against Moyuka Uchijima, 9 versus Maria Sakkari, and 8 in her loss to Belinda Bencic.
Those serving issues followed her to the Miami Open, where she bowed out in the round of 16 to Magda Linette—committing 12 more double faults in that match alone.
Stubbs: Gauff’s Service Motion Could Be a Lasting Concern
Gauff’s serve took center stage in the latest episode of The Racquet podcast, co-hosted by Stubbs and former World No. 9 Andrea Petkovic. Petkovic brought up Gauff’s Miami performance and asked Stubbs to assess her service motion.
“Coco Gauff had a disappointing month in Indian Wells and Miami,” Petkovic said. “I only saw her serve on video. In that straight sets loss to Magda, she served 12 double faults. Did you see it live?”
Stubbs didn’t hold back in her critique:
“Her grip is off. Her elbow drops really low and stays close to her body, and the toss arm just collapses. There are so many little technical things that could be a problem for her going forward—maybe forever,” said Stubbs.
“These issues don’t just disappear. Billie Jean King always said, bad technique breaks down under pressure—and that’s what’s happening here.”
What’s Next for Gauff?
Despite her struggles, Gauff remains a top contender on the WTA Tour. She is set to compete at the Stuttgart Open (Porsche Tennis Grand Prix), where she’ll share the draw with heavyweights like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Mirra Andreeva.
Whether Gauff can sort out the technical issues in her serve remains to be seen—but it’s clear the tennis world is watching closely.
