NEW YORK — In the relentless pursuit of greatness, even the most promising champions must identify and rectify their weaknesses. For American tennis sensation Coco Gauff, that critical flaw has been her serve, a facet of her game that has occasionally faltered under the brightest lights. In a fascinating parallel to the sport's ultimate problem-solver, Gauff has turned to a technical adjustment famously mastered by Novak Djokovic, a change that was instrumental in propelling the Serb into the heart of the tennis GOAT debate.
The Serve: A Known Vulnerability
Since her explosive arrival on the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon, Coco Gauff's athleticism, powerful groundstrokes, and mental fortitude have never been in question. However, her service motion, particularly under pressure, has been a persistent point of analysis and concern. The issues have typically manifested as a high number of double faults, a problem that surfaced notably during her fourth-round loss at Wimbledon this year. This vulnerability was the one glaring hole in an otherwise championship-caliber game, and Gauff knew that to consistently challenge for the sport's biggest titles, a fix was non-negotiable.
Enter Brad Gilbert, the veteran coach and ESPN commentator whom Gauff hired to lead her team in the summer of 2023. Gilbert, known for his strategic genius and work with legends like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, immediately identified the serve as the primary area for improvement. The solution they are implementing is not a complete overhaul but a subtle yet profoundly impactful technical tweak: simplifying the ball toss.
The Djokovic Blueprint
This is where the Djokovic parallel becomes impossible to ignore. Early in his career, Djokovic was also plagued by a unreliable serve and, more notoriously, fitness issues that led to multiple mid-match retirements in Grand Slams. His transformation into one of the most efficient and mentally unbreakable servers in the game is a testament to his relentless dedication to improvement. A key part of that transformation was streamlining his service motion, focusing on a consistent, repeatable ball toss that minimized moving parts and maximized power and accuracy.
Gauff and Gilbert are now following the same blueprint. The old motion involved a more pronounced and potentially variable toss. The new, refined action is cleaner and more compact. In a recent practice session ahead of the US Open, Gilbert was heard emphasizing the core principle: "The key is the toss, just get it in the right spot, simple." This directive echoes the philosophy that turned Djokovic's serve from a weakness into a weapon.
Tennis analyst and former player Pam Shriver elaborated on the change, noting, "What we're seeing with Coco is a conscious effort to reduce the margin for error. Djokovic did this to phenomenal effect. He eliminated the extraneous movement, focused on a rock-solid platform, and his serve became a point-ending tool rather than a point of anxiety. Coco is clearly trying to replicate that stability."
Immediate Payoff and Long-Term Vision
The early returns on this adjustment have been promising. During her triumphant run to the title at the Citi Open in Washington D.C., Gauff's serve looked noticeably more reliable. While the double faults haven't vanished entirely, the frequency has decreased, and the free points on her first serve have increased. This newfound confidence on serve allows her to play more aggressively on return games, knowing she can hold serve more comfortably.
The benefits of this technical fix extend beyond the stat sheet. For a player like Gauff, whose mental strength is a hallmark of her game, the elimination of a known weakness provides a massive psychological boost. It's the same confidence Djokovic gained; when every part of your game is a strength, you step onto the court believing you cannot be beaten. This holistic improvement is what separates very good players from all-time greats.
Gauff herself has been openly pragmatic about the process. Speaking after a win in Cincinnati, she stated, "I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for progress. We're working on it every day. Some days are better than others, but the goal is that by the time the big moments come, it's automatic. It's just about building that muscle memory." This patient, process-oriented mindset is another trait she shares with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
What This Means for the GOAT Trajectory
It is, of course, far too early to place Coco Gauff in the GOAT conversation. Djokovic's legacy is built on over a decade of dominance, a complete mastery of every surface, and a relentless will to win that is arguably unparalleled in the sport's history. However, the significance lies in Gauff's approach. She is not just relying on her prodigious natural talent; she is actively studying the patterns of the most successful players and emulating their paths to improvement.
Djokovic's career is a masterclass in transformation. He identified his flaws—his serve, his fitness, his diet—and systematically turned them into strengths. By tackling her most significant technical weakness with the same focused determination, Gauff is demonstrating a champion's mentality. This proactive approach to career management is a critical component of long-term success in the modern game.
The key areas where Gauff is mirroring the Djokovic model of improvement include:
- Technical Refinement: Isolating a specific weakness (the serve) and making a deliberate, technical change to address it.
- Mental Fortification: Understanding that fixing a technical flaw directly translates to greater confidence and mental peace during competition.
- Strategic Team Building: Bringing in a seasoned, tactical coach like Brad Gilbert to provide the expert guidance needed for such a transformation.
The Road Ahead
As Gauff prepares to defend her US Open title, all eyes will be on her service games. The pressure will be immense, but it is precisely in these high-stakes environments that the value of a reliable serve is magnified. If she can successfully integrate this Djokovic-esque change under the bright lights of Flushing Meadows, it will serve as the ultimate validation of the new direction.
The journey from a talented phenom to a perennial champion is paved with difficult choices and relentless self-improvement. By choosing to confront her biggest weakness head-on and borrowing a page from the playbook of Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff is not just working on her serve; she is building the foundation for a legacy. She is proving that she possesses the awareness, humility, and work ethic to evolve, and in doing so, she is taking a definitive step from being a star of the future to a dominant force of the present.
In the end, the story is not just about a tweaked ball toss. It is about a young champion's commitment to the unglamorous, technical work that separates the good from the great, and potentially, the great from the greatest of all time.