“When people say that she will be the next Serena, it seems like a leap too high,” said Rick Macci, Serena Williams’ childhood coach last year following Coco’s US Open victory. Seems like his words hold true. Why? While Coco ended her season with a title win at the WTA Finals, she still had mostly a disappointing 2024. She lost a lot of crucial encounters. On the other hand, her arch-rival and World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka went from strength to strength. Even a renowned analyst believes the two-time Grand Slam winner improved, by miles, this season.

Earlier this week, the 26-year-old Belarusian was named WTA Player of the Year. This accomplishment speaks volumes of her sheer dominance. Apart from her title victories at the Australian Open in January and the US Open in September, she even shined in other WTA events. Aryna made it to the finals of the Madrid Open and Italian Open and went on to clinch the trophy at the Cincinnati Masters and the Wuhan Open. So what was her key to success this season that helped her stay ahead of her rivals? Well, it’s got to do with her serving skills, according to Shane Liyanage, founder of Data Driven Sports Analytics. He’s been a key member of Aryna’s team for the past four years.

Per Shane, Aryna Sabalenka made a great stride in terms of delivering powerful and accurate serves. He mentioned that it wasn’t the case prior to this season. “We saw that certain services, the ball toss from where she hit it, in terms of speed, was not optimal. We also had data showing that, under pressure situations, the whole service swing movement was even less optimal,” he said in an interaction with Tennis Majors, dated December 12. Her biomechanics coach later helped her in “understanding of her own serve motion, also fixing some technical flaws.”

Continuing further, Liyanage said, “There was a before and after. This year has been a blessing because she could work on other aspects of her tennis. In an Australian Open, Aryna made an average of 20 double faults and reached the fourth round. She would give her opponent 20 points and still win many matches.” Which means that “other parts of her game had improved.” And that 2024 “was a blessing, she doesn’t win three Grand Slams if she doesn’t go through that.”

On the contrary, Coco Gauff didn’t wasn’t really able to sort her serving issues for a major part of the season. It was evident to see when the two met during the SF round of the Wuhan Open in October.

When Aryna Sabalenka showed sympathy for Coco Gauff’s on-court struggles

During their semifinal encounter in Wuhan, Sabalenka bounced back when she was down by a set. She decided to exploit Coco’s error-prone performance, owing to her 21 double faults. Not to mention she made an unwanted record of hitting the most double faults in a singles match in her career. Eventually, Aryna Sabalenka succeeded in clinching this battle 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. After the match, she revealed how she managed to take advantage of Gauff’s inconsistent serves. “I was just trying to put as much pressure on her as I can so she would go even crazier on her serve,” she said.

Expressing her honest thoughts on Coco Gauff’s double faults while serving, Sabalenka said, “I was playing that match thinking, Girl I feel u like nobody else. I know what she’s going thru.” However, she also suggested that Coco could be “1 of the greatest”. “This is tough, but I know if she overcomes this serve situation, she already 1 of the best players, but I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be 1 of the greatest,” she added.

Even Rick Macci has thrown light on Gauff’s poor serving skills, in a post on his X account. While dissecting Gauff’s technical issues, he explained, “The position of her right foot is on the outside of the front foot, which is not optimal. The weight should be behind the right hip, but it is on the right groin. She can’t even load the body system properly or get the right weight on the back foot.” To overcome this issue, he has suggested a complete overhaul. “I would back the truck up further and change the whole serve. I would move from the pinpoint stance to a pure platform stance.”

What are your thoughts on Aryna and Coco’s playing styles? Let us know in the comments below.