Andy Roddick Lays Bare Coco Gauff’s Issues That’s Ending Her Case as WTA Spearhead Alongside Swiatek and Sabalenka

In the professional realm of tennis, a powerful serve can make all the difference. The former World No. 1, Andy Roddick, shared how it can be used to distinguish between good and great tennis players. And he thinks Coco Gauff is an ideal example in this regard. Sharing his candid reflection on the current ‘Big Three’ WTA players Roddick explained why Gauff does not belong among them.

According to the current WTA ranking, the top three players are Iga Swiatek at No. 1, followed by Aryna Sabalenka and Gauff at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. Just next to Coco Gauff is the Stuttgart Open winner, Elena Rybakina. However, Andy Roddick has a different set of top three players, as he revealed in his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick. “Iga, Rybakina, and Sabalenka. You know. They have kinda separated.” He quickly explained why the 20-year-old player is not in his top three.

“I think Coco was in that conversation, post-US Open last year. I think she’s maybe struggled a little bit more, a lot of double faults.” He further hinted at Gauff’s weak second serve and said, “First serve actually looks pretty good. You know, I think she would probably tell you. She’s a little in her own head about it right now.”

Roddick detailed what Gauff needs to adjust to improve and believed that she would soon figure it out. He explained, “It’s impossible to fold over on a second serve, if you are not chasing the toss that’s forward. If that’s toss gets brought back four inches and it is above your head, all of a sudden that creates margin over the net, creates a little bit of a safety mechanism. So I think it’s adjustment not a change. I think she will figure it out. I think she will be a dominant server.”

On the podcast, Roddick did say that Gauff will soon realize how to improve. “When you see her practice, she is just rolling. It’s impressive. Now taking that out to a match, walking it out, getting the feelings, making adjustments while nerves are in play, when you are really trying to commit to something different is hard. Even superheroes like Coco need time for adjustments,” Roddick said.

Coco Gauff’s “second serve” has been in question for quite some time now. Even during the 2024 Australian Open, she displayed a weak second serve. She received 8 double faults and only earned 39% of the points on her second serve, ultimately losing the semifinal match to Aryna Sabalenka. After the match, Gauff even admitted how she wants to be more consistent with her serve and improve it.

Even during the Indian Wells, she hit 17 double faults in 10 service games in the quarterfinal. Her serve improved quite a bit at the Miami Open. But it still caused three double faults during her last match there. Roddick, who is known for his strong second serve, pointed to this as the reason for the decline of her performance after winning the U.S. Open last year.

Gauff’s shortcomings and the fact that she may not be in the famed Big 3 of WTA were again on display at the Madrid Open. Gauff exited at the Round of 16 stage while Sabalenka, Rybakina, and Swiatek all reached the semifinals. Swiatek and Sabalenka played the final, with the Polish player coming out on top.

For the unversed, Coco teamed up with Andy Roddick for just two days of off-season training ahead of the 2024 Australian Open, focusing on revamping her serve. A legend known for his booming serve, 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick, stepped up to help the young Gauff refine her own service motion.

Nonetheless, apart from Andy Roddick, various top tennis voices have raised concerns about the problematic second serve of Coco Gauff. Among them was Andrea Petkovic when she compared Gauff’s serve to Venus Williams’.

“Her second serve, it’s so unreliable,” says Petkovic about Coco Gauff’s serve

During the podcast, ‘Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,’ the German former professional tennis player shared her insights about Gauff’s “messed up” grip on her second serve. Petkovic said, “Her second serve, it’s so unreliable, you know. And she’s dropping the left side of her body down. It’s very similar to when Venus missed her serve, you know. That whole left side of her arm drops and the ball goes into the net. Her grip is all messed up.”

Not only her, but Rennae Stubbs, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, also asked Gauff “to figure something out” to improve her serve. Again, when Gauff lost to Sabalenka in the Australian Open, Stubbs further explained how Gauff should focus on her elbow placement during the serve.

And with all these valuable bits of advice, as Coco Gauff continues to improve, fans hope to see her better and stronger in her upcoming tournaments.