Coco Gauff’s serving struggles have been a big topic of conversation over the last year, but the American might have just proved that it’s purely a mental issue at Indian Wells.
Gauff is preparing for the first US Masters event of the year, as she looks to win the event for the first time in her career.
The American practised with Paula Badosa in California ahead of the event which is often dubbed the unofficial fifth Grand Slam.
Having watched Gauff’s session with the Spaniard at Indian Wells, it’s clear that her issues are not at all technical.
Coco Gauff’s serve looked impressive in Indian Wells practise
Plenty of experts have told Gauff to change her serve, but there might not be anything actually physically wrong with it.
Gauff and Badosa hit for an hour on Stadium 1, where the American was able to brush up on her serving motion.
The American hit a selection of first and second serves, which all looked technically sound, both in her motion and her toss.
Gauff only hit one dud serve to Badosa, which landed in the wrong service box, for which she swiftly apologised.
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Her serving was solid to good throughout the session, with an impressive amount of pace and power put on each one.
The world number four did not dump a single serve into the net, although it’s worth noting that she didn’t hit an ace either.
Nevertheless, Gauff looked extremely comfortable hitting serves on Stadium 1 in front of a smattering of fans.
It’s clear to see that the American’s issue does not stem from her ability, rather the pressure which has been put on her mentally.
If Gauff and her biomechanic coach, Gavin MacMillan can work out those issues, then her serving woes will be a thing of the past.
Coco Gauff’s double fault statistics so far in 2026
Gauff’s serving on the big stages continues to be her weakness, and she currently sits atop the WTA Tour double faults list for this season.
The American has only played four tournaments this year – the United Cup, the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, and the Dubai Tennis Championships – but she has still hit 103 double faults.
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She has hit 31 more than Victoria Mboko in second place, but it’s a testament to the star’s mental attitude that she not only continues to try and improve her serve, but she is also winning competitive matches with a considerable anchor.
Gauff reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals in Dubai, so it’s clear to see an improvement in her serve will take her back up to the top of the mountain.
The star’s last WTA title win came at the Wuhan Open late last year, when she defeated Jessica Pegula in the final.
