Jim Courier says Coco Gauff will need some time to adjust to her service technique and will likely struggle at the US Open, but the American tennis legend also highlights that the 21-year-old made "a worthy investment" by hiring a biomechanics expert.
As Gauff's struggles with her serve became more apparent and the world No. 3 lately hit a slump again, she finally agreed to give a shot to a biomechanics coach. And she hired Gavin MacMillan, the same biomechanics expert who famously fixed Aryna Sabalenka's serving woes in 2022 and helped the Belarusian elevate her game to a new level and win multiple Grand Slams.
On Tuesday evening, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd had a chance to witness in live Gauff's new serve. And while it wasn't beautiful, the home star hit "only" 10 double faults and managed to edge out Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 6-7 (2) 7-5 in her US Open first-round match.
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After the match, Gauff admitted that she had to constantly be alerted and not allow herself to return to her "old serving habits."
Courier: Don't expect Gauff to play her best at the US Open, but it's an investment worth making
When players talk about getting into the zone, that spot where theyre just reacting and flowing and feeling their tennis, theyre not thinking one bit about technique. Unfortunately for her, shes going to have to be thinking about this technique. She has to be super mindful. Its literally the only thing shes thinking about when she sets up to hit a serve," Courier said on Tennis Channel, via tennis.com.
So, theres no way shes going to play her best tennis this tournament. No way. But if this works for her and by the end of this year or by the Australian Open, she no longer has to think about it and she can get into that flow state, thats an investment worth making.
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Former four-time Grand Slam champion Courier also brought up the Jannik Sinner example and how fixing his footwork in 2022 led to the Italian making a further step in his game and becoming the player he is today.
