Coco Gauff has all eyes on the US Open singles tournament. The two-time Grand Slam winner is returning to the same event where she won her first major title in 2023 and is aiming to put the hardships she's faced in the Cincinnati Open and other recent WTA tournaments behind her. After committing 62 unforced errors in her quarterfinal loss to eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini, Gauff took to her Instagram to let her fans know where she mentally stands before she takes the hard court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
“In the rear view mirror,” Gauff captioned under a carousel of photos of her from the Cincinnati Open. “Thank you @cincytennis.”
Gauff has faced a string of difficult outings since winning the French Open earlier this year in May. In the eight matches she's played in since, she only managed to net four wins, and even many of those were a struggle for the 21-year-old tennis star. Her falters have resulted in a slip in her WTA ranking, as Iga Swiatek has surpassed her for second place after walking away with the Cincinnati Open win.
Veteran tennis coach Rick Macci, who is known for his mentorship of Venus and Serena Williams, chimed in with his expert opinion on how Gauff can turn her fortune around.
“Coco will be OK as she fights and knows how to play. But to ever breathe rare air, she has to address the alarming red flare,” Macci started on X, formerly Twitter. “She is at a career crossroad with the 2nd serve and forehand but needs a science-based plan,” Macci continued. “This will not magically go away and bubbles up more under extreme pressure that particular day.”
Coco will be OK as she fights and knows how to Play. But to ever breathe rare air she has to address the alarming red flare. She is at a career crossroad with the 2nd serve and forehand but needs a science based Plan. This will not magically go away and bubbles up more under…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) August 17, 2025
Gauff has hit the highest amount of double faults out of all WTA players in the 2025 season, including 43 across her three Canadian Open matches alone. Macci pinpointed this specific area of her game as an area she should focus on to improve her match results.
“Her wide serve to the deuce court is one of the best in the world, but then in the same breath, we’re talking about she leads the WTA Tour in double faults,” he said. “So there’s a disconnect.”
Macci maintained that Gauff would benefit from working with him and taking a “scientific” approach to tackling the issues with her serve.
“Her racket on her serve, the leg drive doesn’t initiate the racket at the right time … but keeping her weight back longer with the platform and starting brand new, there’s no doubt that [with] myself and [biomechanics expert] Dr. Gordon, this could be solved immediately,” Macci said.
The seven-time USPTA National Coach of the Year hasn't been shy about publicly supporting Gauff. A year ago, Macci was very vocal on his X profile about Gauff‘s potential to climb to the top of the WTA rankings, and now, he's doubling down on that opinion.
“I think not only could Coco become No. 1, which she probably will anyways, I think she could stay there for a long time, because her backbone is better than her backhand and she’s an Olympic sprinter with a racket in her hand,” Macci said.
“She’s just such a great competitor; she checks all these other boxes. But when you’re out there double-faulting eight, 10, 12 times, or whatever, and you’re still winning, how good could you be when you’re only hitting a couple?” he added. “I mean, that’s like crazy. I mean, your mind has to be made of granite. I mean, a lot of girls would disappear into outer space. So I just have so much respect for Coco [Gauff].”
Macci capped off his statement by reiterating that he'll be cheering loudly for Gauff's success.
“To be great, it’s a package, and if this serve could be modified, I have no doubt where she could end up. Double digits [Grand Slams] is around the corner for Coco.”
