"Will be hard to find someone working harder than her on her game …. 2026 she coming !!!!" - Coco Gauff touted for improved 2026 by father amid serving setbacks

Coco Gauff's second half to the 2025 season has been plagued by severe troubles with her serve, something regularly highlighted online. This has caused her father to step in and respond to the commotion.

It was an up and down campaign for the current number three. She was as high as world number two when she culminated a fantastic clay swing with a deserved title at Roland Garros, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Her fortunes were much better on clay than her early year results. A quarter-final at the Australian Open was followed by a number of average results and early exits. However, her fortunes turned around when making the transition from hardcourt to clay. In the two Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, she went all the way to the final before losing out to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini respectively. The French Open title that would inevitably follow proved to be her second major title and a solid foundation to build off as the second half of the season began.

Unfortunately for the American, things would get quite bad. She competed at two grass events, losing in the first round of them both. This included Wimbledon, where she brushed these worrying defeats off due to grass not being her favourite surface. The real concerns were the big events leading up to the US Open.

Her serve came under severe scrutiny as she continuously succumbed to a plethora of double faults. This was highlighted in her premature Canadian Open campaign. In her first two matches, she hit a combined total of 37 double faults in six sets, including an astonishing 23 against fellow countrywoman Danielle Collins. She managed to get through them tight matchups, showing her grit and determination skills, but lost in straight sets to eventual champion Victoria Mboko. The problems did not stop there, as she picked up 16 double faults in the Cincinnati Open quarter-final against Paolini, being pegged back from a set advantage to lose. The 2023 US Open champion was set for an unstable return to Flushing Meadows. She had made the bold decision to bring in biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMilan to help her solve the serving problems experienced. While the double-fault counter slowly trickled down, she was only able to make the fourth round. 

The Asian swing proved to be a much-improved period, at least results wise. The double faults were regularly higher than her opponents tally but much less than the extortionate highs once reached. She reached a semi-final in the China Open before becoming the Wuhan Open champion for the first time. Despite this, a one-off match in the ATP Finals group phase against Jessica Pegula saw her hit 17 double faults, ultimately one of the reasons why she lost. Overall, she ended the year with 431 double faults, 131 more than Ekaterina Alexandrova in second despite playing eight more matches.

Her quality is still there to see. While the 21-year-old's serve has been under par, she is still able to challenge for the biggest titles the sport can offer, but on a less consistent basis. It has been regularly brought up, with Corey Gauff finally having enough and coming to the side of her daughter, shining some positivity and hope for the future.

"Relax it’s a stat and a fact and an area to improve she will improve she always does the work doesn’t lie … will be hard to find someone working harder than her on her game …. 2026 she coming !!!!" he wrote when replying to a tennis account about this on Instagram.

Gauff is already preparing for a return to action in 2026. Eager to get started, she is on the practice courts getting herself in the best shape possible. While many players are competing in exhibitions in December/January, Gauff is saving her energy for the United Cup at the start of January. USA are the reigning champions after her and Taylor Fritz proved to be a very good team. They will be targeting more success ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.