When Coco Gauff steps onto the court, there’s a sense of electricity—raw, youthful, and powerful. But as the 2026 season looms, that current face a test. Not from her rivals’ booming forehands or tactical precision, but from within, specifically, her serve. The 21-year-old American, who captured the world’s attention with her relentless speed and fiery determination, has been tweaking one of the most crucial weapons in her arsenal. And while innovation is the hallmark of champions, former pros warn that Gauff’s recent change in serving technique could either be the leap that defines her next chapter or the risk that derails her progress.

If we take a look at the numbers, Gauff has played around 61 matches this season and won two titles. But the most concerning factor in her game from this year was her committing 405 double faults. With that, she has now hit the 400 mark for a second year in a row, making her the first player to ever achieve that unfortunate streak. Ekaterina Alexandrova is second on that list, and she has committed 280 double faults this season. Coco Gauff’s ‘double trouble‘ has been a hot topic of discussion this year.

There have been several instances when we’ve seen tennis bigwigs like Rick Macci and Rennae Stubbs pointing out the flaws in Gauff’s serve. After receiving a series of suggestions and advice, Gauff finally appointed Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist, as her head coach ahead of the US Open, mainly to correct her serve. Although she has made a few changes in her action following his inclusion in the team, there has been a bit of concern surrounding her serve. She started her Wuhan Open campaign against Moyuka Uchijima, committing zero double faults, but she ended her title triumph run with a total of 27 double faults in her next four matches. While sharing her thoughts on Coco Gauff’s 6-4,7-5 triumph against Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan Open final, former pro CoCo Vandeweghe said, “It’s all about Coco’s fight. And I think anytime we’ve tried to count Coco Gauff out, she shows up and wins and dominates these players that we think, ‘Oh, this should be a lot closer,‘ or maybe just (Jessica) Pegula should dominate this matchup because, like you said…they know each other so well. They used to play doubles together, and they’ve really been the backbone of American tennis for the last couple of years.”

She committed 8 double faults in her match against Pegula, and this shows that there is still work to be done on her serve. But at the same time, her clean sheet against Uchijima also shows glimpses of MacMillan’s influence. Speaking about Gauff’s most talked about aspect of her game, Vandeweghe said, “For Coco (Gauff), we’re always going to be looking at that serve because of the changes that she’s made in it and the little nuances. Will it happen at this tournament, right now coming up? I don’t think so. It needs a little bit more time.” She further added, “But I think putting this serve under pressure is going to be so important for next year. I think she’s always going to be a fighter, always going to be a contender. Whether or not she can hold up against somebody that’s going to be hitting big and conditions, speed of the court—that’s going to be a huge factor out there. Because if it’s a quick surface, then you can rush the forehand because Coco’s kicking a lot of her serves to get a high first serve percentage instead of going for a bigger one that becomes more attackable the more people see it.”

Coco Gauff’s 2025 season told a story of triumphs shadowed by inconsistency. She soared in moments—reaching the late stages of major tournaments, but her serve often betrayed her under pressure. The double faults crept in, the first-serve percentages dipped, and with them, her confidence seemed to waver. 

However, according to Serena Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, there has been a lot of improvement in her service motion with the introduction of the biomechanics specialist. He said that before the double faults/first serves were a mystery, but now the tennis world is probably going to see one of the best serves down the road in tennis history. So, everyone is keen to see how Gauff performs in the next few months before kick-starting the 2026 season.

The WTA field in 2026 will be fiercer than ever—Sabalenka’s raw aggression, Swiatek’s baseline precision, and Anisimova’s effortless power have reshaped the top tier. For Coco Gauff to stay in that mix, her serve needs to be both reliable and threatening—her key to free points and dictating play. Every champion faces a moment where change feels risky, even frightening. For Gauff, that moment is now. How does CoCo Vandeweghe think Gauff is going to kickstart her 2026 campaign in Melbourne?

Former American pro drops prediction for Coco Gauff’s 2026 AO campaign

So far, Coco Gauff has had a decent season, winning 47 out of her total 61 matches. She could’ve won more than just two titles this season, but she failed to deliver in some crucial moments. However, with her recent win against Jessica Pegula at the Wuhan Open final, she ticked quite a few boxes. 

• Coco Gauff became the first player in history to go 9-0 in hard-court finals.
• She is now also the player with the fewest games dropped (25) to win the title at the Wuhan Open since the tournament’s inception in 2014. 
• Not only that, Gauff is the second player to claim the titles at both WTA 1000 events held in China (Beijing in 2024 and Wuhan in 2025).

The next big task for her will be the chance to defend her WTA Finals title. Gauff will play her fourth consecutive final after a positive Asian tour. While sharing her thoughts about the WTA Finals, following her Wuhan triumph, she said, “It means a lot to me. I think it shows that I’m definitely not falling behind, and I want to keep improving, climb in the rankings, and perform well. For me, just qualifying for the final, especially a bit early, I consider that so soon, without having to play the other tournaments, is a fantastic feeling. It’s a prestigious tournament, one that I always look forward to playing and being a part of.”

After that, she’ll have another massive task in Melbourne. Talking about her chances at the AO and adjusting to the recent changes, in a previous conversation on the Inside-In podcast, he said, “I think it’s going to be a more long-term process for her, and I think we will see results in Australia because there is not enough time to fix anything now.”

Coco Gauff’s best record at the AO came last year when she reached the SF. Do you think she really has a chance of lifting the title next year?