"He didn't have as great of a serve in the beginning" - Coco Gauff hopes to emulate Novak Djokovic in overcoming her serving woes

It's no secret that American tennis prodigy Coco Gauff has experienced slumps with her serve, prompting her to seek the aid of a serve specialist. However, the reigning French Open champion does not believe her serving issues will hinder her from achieving even more during her career.

After a round of 16 exit to Naomi Osaka at the US Open, Gauff would fall to compatriot Amanda Anisimova at the China Open. The World No.3 seemed hesitant on serve, winning only 38% of points behind her first serve as she suffered a disappointing 1-6 2-6 loss to Anisimova.

Nonetheless, Gauff would put the loss behind her and enter the Wuhan Open. The Atlanta native looked more confident during the WTA 1000 event, racing to the final without dropping a set before defeating countrywoman Jessica Pegula to lift the title.

Gauff would reveal she had begun working with Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist, to help fix her serve. The duo joined forces a few days before the US Open, with their partnership eventually paying off as Gauff added yet another WTA 1000 title to her resume.

MacMillan is known for helping Belarusian WTA star Aryna Sabalenka overcome her serving issues a few years ago, which was instrumental in her eventual rise to the World No.1 position and becoming a four-time Grand Slam champion.

Gauff believes she has ample time to make the necessary changes that could help transform her game. The 21-year old highlighted the careers of fellow American Venus Williams and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who initially struggled with their serves early in their careers.

“I was looking at Novak and he's someone who didn't have as great of a serve in the beginning of his career, obviously different issue than me, but he just wasn't serving as strong," said Gauff. "And he made that change and has gone on to obviously be Novak Djokovic. And even at that time, he was still like a successful player. So yeah, I’ve drawn on those experiences. And obviously Aryna and Venus and those who've done those changes.
"I think [Lorenzo] Musetti, even recently, we were at US Open on the court, sharing the court together, both of us serving, we both changed our serve recently and we were laughing about it.
“So yeah, just seeing that other players, it's just inspiring knowing tennis is won by small margins and those little differences make a difference. And I know if I want to get to the scale that I want to get to, I have to make those changes."

Gauff is slated to compete at the year-ending WTA Finals, which takes place in Riyadh from November 1-8, 2025.