Coco Gauff Says Serve Problems Are Gone Despite Leading WTA Double-Fault List

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coco Gauff believes she has finally overcome the serve problems that troubled her last season, even as the American remains the WTA Tour's leading player for double faults in 2026.

The 2023 US Open champion has won Grand Slam titles at the US Open and French Open over the past three years, but her serve has remained a persistent weakness. The problems became particularly difficult this time last year, when Gauff was reduced to tears on court while struggling to control the shot.

Biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan was subsequently brought in to help address the long-standing issues.

According to Tennis365, the statistics from the 2026 WTA Tour season show just how difficult Gauff's serve has been. She has recorded 308 double faults this year, putting her well clear at the top of the list.

American Alycia Parks is second with 222 double faults, while Jelena Ostapenko has also recorded 222. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova is among the top 10 with 213 double faults.

Gauff Feels More Confident on Serve

Despite the alarming statistic, Gauff says her mindset around her serve has changed significantly over the past year.

“Last year I knew all eyes were going to be on the serve,” she reflected. “Gavin is so great at what he does, so I felt a lot of pressure — even pressure I put on myself to prove he’s great at what he does.

“It didn’t really show within the first two weeks, which is normal. But psychologically, I’m now serving and it’s ‘Oh, I’m going for the ace,’ or ‘I know I can hit the serve, and the return is probably not going to come back,’ versus last year I literally was like ‘I hope I make it in’.”

Gauff said she now feels much more comfortable when stepping onto court, even though she still sees room for improvement.

“It feels good to come into a tournament feeling confident on that shot finally,” Gauff said. “I still want to improve my serve, but I always knew I was capable of having a good one because I can hit overheads well and I can get up there high on the serve speed.

“It was about making it consistent. Once I got confident in the consistency, then I was able to pull the trigger a lot more often.”

Gauff Looks to Turn Confidence Into Results

Gauff believes the improvement in her serve has also helped her overall game, particularly as she continues to return well.

“Now that I’m returning well and serving well, it just feels good. You feel a lot more at ease when the shot is going in,” she said.

“I didn’t even need it to be great. I just needed it to go in — now it’s getting good and it’s going in.”

The double-fault numbers remain a notable concern for Coco Gauff, but her comments suggest she is no longer approaching her serve with the same uncertainty that affected her last season.

With greater confidence in the shot, Gauff will now look to translate that progress into more consistent performances as she continues her 2026 campaign.

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