American WTA star Coco Gauff was recently honored with an opportunity to bear the flag of her country at the Paris Olympics. The moment she built her grip on the flag, she wasn’t just a participant at the opening ceremony but also became the bearer of countless American hopes. However, these expectations had to take a hit as Gauff faced a major setback. Coming forward with a detailed analysis of why it all happened, Rick Macci submitted an eye-opening verdict.

Coco Gauff’s Paris Olympics journey came to a shocking end after a 7-6, 6-2 loss to Donna Vekic. The US Open singles champion was seen in tears as drama was unleashed due to an extended argument with the chair umpire during the second set. While this wasn’t the first time when Gauff had to suffer because of her dynamics, renowned mentor Rick Macci dropped a possible reason behind Gauff’s setback in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.

Macci pointed out that despite her notable strengths on the court, Gauff’s forehand has always been her weak spot. “Her forehand has always been a little suspect. If she had Federer’s forehand or Djokovic’s forehand, she’d be sitting here with five or six Grand Slams already because she’s so good in other areas,” he told EssentiallySports.

Macci highlighted that Gauff’s severe grip and big swing make her forehand a liability for her overall game. “It’s never going to be her best shot. And unfortunately, the last time I looked, you hit more forehands than any other shot in tennis. Those are the two big-ticket items,” Macci added. However, he isn’t the only one who believes that her forehand needs a lot of work.

Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert, reflected similar thoughts, revealing he has received numerous texts about improving her forehand. He said, “I’ve never got so many texts in my life as I got once I started coaching her that instantly everything is about, ‘Fix your forehand. Fix your grip.’” Along with that, Gilbert also explained the complexity of making such changes, adding, “What happens if you fix it and it doesn’t get better? What happens if you make a change and it doesn’t get better?”

Both Macci and Gilbert agree that while Gauff is already a top-tier player at just 20 years old, her forehand still needs a lot of effort, to level up her overall game. Meanwhile, her Paris Olympics dreams in singles have come to a sad end.

Coco Gauff sheds tears after Donna Vekic shatters her dreams of a gold medal

Things seemed to be moving ahead swiftly during Coco Gauff’s third-round match at the Paris Olympics. While her rival was lucky enough the steal the first set with a close call, it was the second set that triggered drama. One of Donna Vekic’s balls was called out to which Gauff reacted with a simple shot that hit the net. While it was later corrected by the line judge that the ball was in, the chair umpire finally made a call against Gauff, denying to believe that it was the out call that hindered Gauff’s shot.

Despite a long argument between the American and the umpire, the decision remained the same, giving Gauff an emotional hit. Depressed by the irrelevant call, she said, “This is not fair. You guys are not fair to me. I hope that one day the game becomes fair, but it’s not,” and finally left the court with tears in her eyes. She eventually lost the match, ending her singles run in Paris.

While the debate extended a long way on social media, fans still believe that the US Open champion was right. Now that she’s finally out of the event, the expectations lie with Danielle Collins.