American tennis star Coco Gauff failed to defend her US Open title as she fell to Emma Navarro in the Round of 16. This was yet another setback for the world number 3, who has had a tough season this year. After winning the home slam last year, fans were expecting Gauff to secure a few more titles, including majors, this year. However, Gauff’s repeated failure didn’t leave them with any expectations from her when she entered the US Open this year.
One of the major weaknesses of the American seems to be her serve. Despite having one complete season to work on her weakness, Gauff couldn’t improve in this aspect and it is the same as it was one year ago. However, this time it seems her opponents have been able to study her weakness and have found a way to beat her.
Former coach of tennis great Serena Williams, Rick Macci also discussed how it is crucial for Gauff to work on her serve and called it ‘biochemically disconnected’. He added that it was an ‘easy fix’ and could be solved, indicating that something was wrong with the way she was being trained.
“Asked about Coco and her serve. Biomechanically it is disconnected. 19 double faults and be in there shows her greatness. It needs minor reconstruction surgery based on scientific principles as it is an easy fix. People are telling her the Symptom not the Culprit,” posted the tennis coach.
Asked about Coco and her serve. Biomechanically it is disconnected. 19 double faults and be in there shows her greatness. It needs minor reconstruction surgery based on scientific principles as it is an easy fix. People are telling her the Symptom not the Culprit. @CocoGauff
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) September 2, 2024
With this tweet, Macci took a dig at Gauff’s tennis coach Brad Gilbert, and indirectly called him the ‘culprit’ for not helping Gauff with her service. Gilbert, who has also coached legends like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick in the past, has not been able to contribute much to make the world number 3 as dominant a force as she was expected to be.
Ever since the two partnered up, Gauff’s career hasn’t seen any improvement other than her winning the slam last year. Macci, on the other hand, has worked with some great tennis players like the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick. A biomechanical expert, the American coach is known to have a deep understanding and knowledge of the functioning of the body in regard to tennis shots.
He also runs a tennis academy named Rick Macci Tennis Academy, where he trains athletes with a special focus on biomechanics. Gauff can maybe consider moving away from her present coach as the strategy with which she is currently playing is not working out.
She can try to consult a biomechanical expert to cover the lapses in her service. The American can even look to skip some tournaments in the upcoming months and instead focus on building herself for the next season.
