Coco Gauff at the US Open: Serves, Fights, and Aims for the Title

Coco Gauff: A Mental and Technical Challenge at the US Open

Eleven weeks ago, Coco Gauff lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup on the Philippe Chatrier court, celebrating her second Grand Slam title. However, the success on clay did not translate into the grass season, where she suffered an early elimination at Wimbledon. Now, at the US Open, Gauff faces a new challenge, battling her own demons and seeking to consolidate her game.

After the victory at the French Open, the young tennis player felt that she didn’t have enough time to celebrate and prepare for the following tournaments. The defeat on grass gave her more time to focus on the North American hard court tour and the US Open, where she was defending the title won in 2023. In her second match at the US Open, Gauff faced Donna Vekic in front of 24,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The victory was bittersweet, as the tennis player visibly struggled during the match. “Honestly, today was a tough match for me, but I’m happy with how I was able to handle it. It’s been a tough few weeks,” confessed Gauff, visibly emotional.

No matter how hard it gets, you can do it.

Coco Gauff

Despite the difficulties, Gauff advanced to the third round. Her path has been full of ups and downs, both on and off the court. One of the biggest challenges has been her serve, which led her to make drastic decisions. After struggling with her serve during the summer, Gauff made changes to her coaching staff, hoping to correct it before the tournament. The tennis player decided to work with Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics expert. “The practice week was tough because I spent a lot of time on the court literally serving until, like, my shoulder hurt,” Gauff commented after her first-round match.

The change, although risky, is a crucial step for Gauff. The tennis player compared the process to learning a new language. The changes in her technique, including the position of her hands on the racket and the coordination of movements, are complex and require courage to be implemented in real time.

In her first-round match, Gauff faced Ajla Tomljanovic and demonstrated the difficulty of adapting to technical changes. Despite the victory, she lost six service games and committed 10 double faults. “Sometimes I do well, and sometimes, not so well. When I do well, it’s always a good result. It’s just reminding myself how to do it,” explained Gauff.

In the second-round match, Gauff had a similarly complicated start, with seven double faults in the first set. The tennis player was visibly affected, but managed to recover and win the match. Gauff will face Magdalena Frech in the next round, hoping to continue advancing in the tournament. Gauff’s goal in New York is to claim the trophy, but her current focus is on implementing the changes she has learned. “I think this whole tournament will stay with me for the rest of my career, knowing that if I can get through two difficult matches feeling the way I feel, I know I can get through almost anything,” Gauff said.