The young tennis sensation, Coco Gauff, is in the spotlight following her recent performance at the Dubai Championships, where she reached the semifinals, but not without raising a series of concerns about her serve. With a performance that included an impressive 44 double faults in just four matches, Gauff has had her technique questioned by prominent figures in the sport, including former world number one, Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The ex-champion described the American’s serving issues as a true “mystery.”
During her run in Dubai, Gauff, who ranks fourth in the world, accumulated 12 double faults in three matches, with the most frustrating occurring in her semifinal loss to Elina Svitolina. After that mistake, the 21-year-old did not hide her frustration with her biomechanics coach, Gavin McMillan. “I’ve been doing everything you wanted for six months… I’m not getting better at all,” the young player vented, highlighting the pressure she feels to improve.
Since hiring McMillan in August, the athlete has been trying to perfect her serve, but the results have been mixed. The only title she has won under his guidance was at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan in October. However, her struggle with double faults is alarming, having led the double faults list on the WTA Tour in 2024 and 2025, with 431 and 430, respectively.
Kafelnikov, speaking on the YouTube channel First & Red, did not hold back in his criticism of Gauff’s training structure. “It’s a mystery to me how someone with so much experience can make such mistakes. I have an immediate question: How is the training structured?” he asked. The former player firmly believes that repetitive practice is the key to improvement. “If you serve, roughly speaking, 1,000 times, you will refine your technique,” said the two-time Grand Slam tournament champion.
Elena Dementieva, another tennis legend and former world number three, also joined the debate, emphasizing that Gauff is facing difficulties not only with her serve but also with her forehand. “The problem here is not just her serve, but also her forehand, which is failing,” said the former player, adding that Gauff is relying too much on her backhand and physical condition. “She depends on those three pillars, but it’s very difficult at the level she is at. She is one of those fighting for number one.”
Gauff’s next opportunity to show improvements will be at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, which begins on March 4. With the pressure mounting and criticism intensifying, all eyes will be on the young star to see if she can resolve the issues that have been plaguing her. What will happen next? Gauff’s battle to master her serve and continue her rise in professional tennis continues.
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