‘She’s battling a mental issue’ – Coco Gauff worries Andy Roddick with recent run of strong performances

“I want to become a more aggressive server” said Coco Gauff. So who did she turn to for advice during the offseason? One of the greatest servers our sport has ever known: Andy Roddick. After Roddick “Coco’s motion simplified, a little abbreviated”, According to Brad Gilbert, she came to the Australian Open and showed it right from the start. It seemed like her second serve had improved too – 26 double faults in 6 matches. But as the season went on, that changed. And Roddick couldn’t help but take care of it.

As the calendar heads towards the second Grand Slam, Gauff has failed to achieve her goal before playing at Roland Garros. She wanted to win a tournament on clay, having won a title on that surface at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Open. The fact is that this year has been mostly about Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. The “Big 3” have left Gauff a bit behind, partly because of her inconsistent serve. on the Served with any Roddick podcastthe legend recalls his journey at the Rome Masters.

After reaching the semi-finals after a tough but impressive run, Gauff was defeated 6-4, 6-3 by Swiatek. While the scoreline may not reflect the quality of the 20-year-old’s game, Roddick appreciated her performance. But he also felt that something was missing. “Coco had a great semi-final in Rome. But you’re looking for something a bit” he said on the podcast. He then added: “(She) hThat’s as good a forehand as I’ve seen him hit it, (but the) s“Her serve is still a little bit… her first serve is actually a lot better in Rome. Her second serve is still, you know, she’s fighting.”

Roddick dug deeper into Gauff’s mental situation and said: “I think she has a mental problem with her serve. You can do it (as you want) in training, but doing it under the lights is another story.” In training, trying new things is a breeze. But when it comes to putting these aspects into practice in real match situations – when the stakes are high, especially when it comes to the second serve – it is quite difficult to do something new. Not physically, but mentally.

As they say, tennis is as mental as it is physical. And the fact is that the second serve has always been a problem for Coco Gauff. Andy Roddick also hinted at her mental block. “She’s had this problem before. Like in the last tournament she played in Cancun last year, she committed 25 double faults in a match last November,” he said, referring to the WTA Finals. However, he believes she can find her rhythm again. However, ” tHer ability to qualify for tournaments and beat the best players, even when she’s obviously struggling with something, is phenomenal.

After her win over Paula Badosa at the Italian Open, Gauff said exactly that. Even though her first serve percentage wasn’t great, she managed to win most points when she put her first serve in play. “I want to work on putting the first serve into play more often.” she said. But does she “more aggressive” Is the method the way to go? If she becomes more aggressive on her first serve, wouldn’t that increase her chances of missing (at least initially)? Maybe the beginning is what we’ve seen in these first few months of 2024, where she’s getting used to her new serve.

Performance-Plus Tennis, a YouTube channel, recently talked about Coco’s serve and performance at Rome 2024. They highlighted a shocking number regarding the World No. 3’s faulty second serve: 41 double faults in 4 matchesHer second-round match was particularly worrisome, with 15 double faults and a first-serve percentage of 51 percent.

Additionally, Gauff has committed a staggering 213 double faults in 2024, significantly more than any other player in the top 100. This inconsistency in her serve has raised questions and sparked discussions about potential solutions to improve her game. Even before this episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, the former player highlighted Gauff’s struggles with the second serve.

He said, “Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina have already pulled away from her this year. Coco is one second serve away from reasserting her place in that conversation. From where I’m sitting, the ball seems a little too launched on the second serve.” Perhaps that’s what she’s focusing on ahead of Roland Garros, as she revealed she’s working on her style to avoid Rome’s failure in Paris.

Coco Gauff confirms “work on” his service skills before Roland Garros

A good serve is a key asset in tennis, but US Open champion Coco Gauff has struggled with her serve during the clay court season. Prior to the Italian Open, she was averaging nearly 10 double faults per match on the slower surface. Despite that challenge, Gauff overcame 11 double faults in her straight-set victory over Paula Badosa in the round of 16 in Rome. The 20-year-old expressed optimism about her improvement ahead of the French Open.

” I have I worked on it, she says. ” TToday, even though I double faulted, I still did better than last match. For me, I’m going to focus on hitting more first serves. I hit big serves on the first serve, so I know I’m probably going to miss more. I think it’s just a matter of finding the balance between hitting big serves and knowing when to slow down to hit my serve.