Coco Gauff and double faults go hand in hand. And the statistics speak volumes. Last year’s staggering 430 double faults in 71 outings – an average of over six per match – painted a stark picture of the problem. And the new season has offered little respite. Her first loss of the year at the Australian Open QFs saw her record 41 unforced errors, including 28 missed forehands and six double-faults. Then came the Indian Wells opener, where a staggering 21 double faults against Moyuka Uchijima signaled that technical adjustments were falling short. The Miami Open brought further disappointment, with 12 double faults marring her match against Magda Linette. As this pattern persists, the pressure mounts. With Serena Williams’ former coach voicing how Gauff’s DF’s can “be a problem for her going forward forever.”
On the latest episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis podcast, dated March 31, 2025, Andrea Petkovic joined Stubbs to recap an eventful Sunshine Double. The topics of discussion ranged from the uncertainty surrounding the future of men’s tennis, where established figures are fading and newcomers struggle for consistency to Aryna Sabalenka and the women’s game stepping into the spotlight. Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champ’s Indian Wells and Miami Open campaign, was sure to come to the forefront of the discussion. “Her grip is wrong,” Stubbs admitted firmly before dissecting the deeper mechanics of the flaw.
“I think her elbow gets super low and sort of so close to her body. The left arm jumps down,” she continued.
In a bid to fix it, the 2023 US Open champion took a bold step. Ahead of the 2024 China Open, she appointed coach Matt Daly. And it was an instant success, as she won her eighth career title, first in nine months. “I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year,” Gauff said after winning the title. But reality struck hard just 10 days later at the Wuhan Open.
In the semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka, she delivered a staggering 21 double faults, the most of any player in any match on tour last year. Then came WTA Finals, where although she lifted the trophy, her serve faltered again. Gauff committed 11 double faults in her match against Iga Swiatek in the Group Stage. “You can’t change the past. I’m in the process of changing things. There’s going to be good days and bad days,” she admitted afterwards, trying to keep faith in her abilities.
Further in the conversation, Stubbs echoed Billie Jean King’s wisdom, saying: “Bad technique breaks down under pressure.” Yet, amid the concern, Stubbs offered a glimmer of hope: clay courts might be Gauff’s saving grace as “she doesn’t need to go for the big bomb on the first serve because her ability on the baseline is so good.”
For Gauff, her clay court record is quite impressive. Her most significant achievement on this surface came in 2022 when she reached the Roland Garros finals. Despite her loss agasint Swiatek, her performance proved her to be one of the players with potential on the clay surface. Therefore, Stubbs’ prediction might come true, but for that, Gauff seriously needs to reconsider her serve and her grip.
Well, the cloud of continuous double fault errors has disappointed Coco Gauff as well. But there is a silver lining.
Coco Gauff mentioned about “trying to figure” out her shortcomings
After exiting the 2025 Miami Open following a straight set loss against Magda Linette by 4-6 and 4-6, Gauff laid bare her feelings. “It wasn’t great today. It hasn’t been the last few weeks — I’m trying to figure that out. Definitely not happy about it… just one of those days when I felt awful in everything on the court,” she exclaimed. However, shortly after, she found a way to cope with her disappointment.
“would say that the first night I was like still thinking about the things that went on in that match. You know, I felt like it was decided by a couple of points. And then after that, I flew home and then what did I do? Oh, I took off like four days; four-five days. My boyfriend came to town so I hung out with him,” Coco revealed.
Pior to her loss in the 2025 Miami Open, Gauff managed to retain her confidence. Although she was criticized for consecutive losses in Dubai and Doha, the 2023 US Open champion said, “I don’t know, everybody makes a bigger deal than what it is… I lost two matches. I’ll lose more matches back to back, it’s going to happen.”
Coco Gauff’s next run in the 2025 Stuttgart Open brings a lot of hope for her fans and probably herself. They believe this platform might help Gauff diagnose her issues and offer her a chance to prepare for the clay-court Grand Slams. Do you think the WTA star can keep up with her fans expectations?
The post “Bad Technique Breaks”- Coco Gauff Comes Under Scrutiny as Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Highlights a Career-Long Concern appeared first on EssentiallySports.
