“I think she needs to change the grip a little on the serve. I think that’s half the problem,” Serena Williams‘ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, earlier showed her concern over Coco Gauff’s playing techniques. Gauff, who fired her coach Brad Gilbert after enduring a slump in her performance throughout the year, is presently working with her new coach, Matt Daly! Interestingly, now Gauff has already cruised past the former World No. 1, Naomi Osaka, (after Osaka retired mid-match) in the China Open and is currently in the QFs. Naturally, Stubbs has once again opened up on Gauff’s gameplay, now hinting at a positive transformation!

On the October 1st episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, the host highlighted that the ‘coaching change’ in Gauff’s team is too late to yield any positive results. With all the Slams and Paris Olympics done, it’s almost time for the year-end ATP Finals. When asked about making changes in the offseason, the 53-year-old Australian responded, “You can slowly tweak it in tournaments...Going at her grip, looking at her grip before the serve. Maybe they are already starting to work on the grip a little bit…The coach that’s willing to go in there with the bravado…”

Stubbs, who previously shared her willingness to take up Gauff’s coaching duties, further added “It is tough to do in the middle of the tournament but you can do it,” she further added. Further referring to the transformation and her new mentality about her gameplay, she continued, “She’s had a few weeks already prior to going to China, so she would have already been working on this. I’m expecting that that’s what happened. This new coach, known for techniques and things like that.”

For context. During the US Open’s fourth round, the defending champion could not avoid 60 unforced errors and 19 double faults against Emma Navarro. Even the ESPN commentator Chris Evert said, “I have never seen her serve as badly as in this match.” Moreover, Coco Gauff herself confessed to failing to “take care” of her serves and inclining to the “left side” during her serves. 

Later on, Stubbs also weighed in on the subject and criticized Gauff’s first and second serving ‘techniques’ and her ‘grip,’ in front of Gauff’s ex-coach, Gilbert. However, it seems, Gauff, who is now entering a QF match after three months, has taken the inputs into account. And she herself admitted to it during an earlier interview.

Coco Gauff intends to have a “better season” next year!

After ending her fourteen-month partnership with Gilbert, (who pushed her to her US Open glory last year), Coco Gauff turned to Daly for guidance. By adding the 45-year-old, the former coach of the world No. 10, Denis Shapovalov, Gauff intends to make “subtle” changes to her serve. Gauff, who also has JC Faurel in her coaching team, opened up, saying, “I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year.”

Coco Gauff, who has won only one title so far this season (ASB Classic), is “super excited,” to bring this new change to her team. However, the American also showed her gratitude to Gilbert, appreciating their “great partnership” together. Currently, Gauff is ready to lock horns with Yulia Starodubtsewa in Beijing. And much like Stubbs, fans are optimistic about witnessing her usual charm in the tennis courts once again!