Coco Gauff’s serve is one of the most scrutinised shots in modern-day tennis.
The American is a two-time Grand Slam champion and one of the best players on the planet, but her serve continues to haunt her.
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of 2026?
If she didn’t struggle with her serve, who knows how many more major titles Gauff might have won…
But is her serve really that much of an issue, or are her struggles overblown?
Coco Gauff has made 56 more double faults than any other player this season
Whenever you sit down to watch Gauff play, you know you are going to see her make several double faults.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that she has topped the double fault charts again.
WTA double fault leaders (2026)
- 1. Coco Gauff – 257
- 2. Jelena Ostapenko – 201
- 3. Linda Noskova – 181
- 4. Mirra Andreeva – 175
- 5. Anastasia Potapova – 161
She also led the way in 2025 and 2024.
WTA double fault leaders (2025)
- 1. Coco Gauff – 431
- 2. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 300
- 3. Alycia Parks – 296
- 4. Linda Noskova – 289
- 5. Marta Kostyuk – 261
WTA double fault leaders (2024)
- 1. Coco Gauff – 430
- 2. Marta Kostyuk – 370
- 3. Daria Kasatkina – 316
- 4. Paula Badosa – 310
- 5. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 287
It’s not just that Gauff makes more double faults than her rivals; it’s that she makes a lot more double faults than her rivals.
The double faults are clearly a concern, but how does she compare to the rest of the WTA Tour in other serving metrics?
Coco Gauff’s serving stats by year
| Year | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | 2nd Serve % | Win % on Serve points | Break points saved % | Win % of Service games |
| 2026 | 117 (24th on WTA Tour) | 257 (1st on WTA Tour) | 63.7% (112th on WTA Tour) | 67.7% (35th on WTA Tour) | 41.5% (160th on WTA Tour) | 58.2% (50th on WTA Tour) | 53.4% (119th on WTA Tour) | 68.1% (60th on WTA Tour) |
| 2025 | 188 (16th on WTA Tour) | 431 (1st on WTA Tour) | 61.5% (184th on WTA Tour) | 68.2% (29th on WTA Tour) | 43% (179th on WTA Tour) | 58.5% (44th on WTA Tour) | 52.8% (161st on WTA Tour) | 68.1% (65th on WTA Tour) |
| 2024 | 250 (7th on WTA Tour) | 430 (1st on WTA Tour) | 57.6% (243rd on WTA Tour) | 71.8% (6th on WTA Tour) | 43.9% (146th on WTA Tour) | 60% (21st on WTA Tour) | 60.6% (28th on WTA Tour) | 73.4% (17th on WTA Tour) |
| 2023 | 260 (9th on WTA Tour) | 219 (18th on WTA Tour) | 60.5% (209th on WTA Tour) | 68% (29th on WTA Tour) | 47.9% (54th on WTA Tour) | 60.1% (19th on WTA Tour) | 58% (64th on WTA Tour) | 73.4% (18th on WTA Tour) |
| 2022 | 220 (12th on WTA Tour) | 260 (4th on WTA Tour) | 63.1% (139th on WTA Tour) | 66.9% (54th on WTA Tour) | 45.7% (123rd on WTA Tour) | 59.1% (40th on WTA Tour) | 57.3% (85th on WTA Tour) | 71.3% (43rd on WTA Tour) |
| 2021 | 248 (8th on WTA Tour) | 256 (5th on WTA Tour) | 60.2% (196th on WTA Tour) | 68.1% (36th on WTA Tour) | 45.7% (111th on WTA Tour) | 59.2% (35th on WTA Tour) | 52.5% (162nd on WTA Tour) | 67.3% (68th on WTA Tour) |
| 2020 | 56 (31st on WTA Tour) | 149 (3rd on WTA Tour) | 61% (134th on WTA Tour) | 68.8% (26th on WTA Tour) | 41.5% (153rd on WTA Tour) | 58.1% (51st on WTA Tour) | 50.3% (146th on WTA Tour) | 68.3% (54th on WTA Tour) |
| 2019 | 44 (92nd on WTA Tour) | 76 (86th on WTA Tour) | 65.2% (79th on WTA Tour) | 64.7% (73rd on WTA Tour) | 42.8% (177th on WTA Tour) | 57.1% (73rd on WTA Tour) | 54% (134th on WTA Tour) | 66.3% (81st on WTA Tour) |
This year, Gauff doesn’t rank inside the top 20 for any positive serving metric.
Looking at how she’s developed over the course of her career, whenever one number improves, another heads in the opposite direction.
Even since hiring serving specialist, Gavin MacMillan, there hasn’t been a consistent improvement, or anything to suggest the shot has been fixed.
So, with that being said, what’s next for the world number four?
Coco Gauff must maximise every other aspect of her game to win another Grand Slam
Gauff may never fix her serve, but that doesn’t mean she can’t add to her Grand Slam tally.
She reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon last time around, even with her serve costing her in crucial moments.
Gauff’s athleticism and fighting spirit make her competitive in almost every match she plays.
Maintaining those attributes and making slight improvements to her forehand and serve might be enough for her to win a third Grand Slam title.
That’ll certainly be the aim for Gauff when she returns to the US Open later this year, looking to win her second title on home soil.
The 2026 US Open begins on Sunday, August 30.
