The women’s singles final at the 2026 Miami Open saw Aryna Sabalenka complete her Sunshine Double with a three-set win over Coco Gauff. While she lost the final, the runner-up finish at Miami Gardens is an encouraging result for Gauff heading into the clay season. However, after her loss, Rick Macci, Serena Williams’ former coach, suggested a technical tweak that could help her in future matches against the World No. 1.
Rick Macci Suggests Technical Tweaks for Coco Gauff After Miami Open Loss
Macci took to X and opined that Gauff was one major technical adjustment away from asserting her dominance over Sabalenka in future matches. The former coach suggested that Gauff alter her return position, standing near the baseline to cover Sabalenka’s signature wide serve and get a return down the middle of the opponent’s court.
Coco can flip the script sooner than later against Sab with one major league strategic adjustment. Return of serve. On the first she has to stand closer as the wide slider on the duece court from the Belarus Bomber got the Delray Dart into downtown Miami and that was the…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) March 29, 2026
If one looks at the stats from the Miami final, Gauff did have problems while returning, as the American could win only 31% of the return points. What’s more interesting to observe is that Gauff, who is one of the best returners of the game, could only generate two break points in the whole match, one of which she converted to win the second set.
However, even though Macci has speculated a change of return position for the World No. 3, the serve remains a problem for the American player. In this season, she has committed 120 double faults in 22 matches, averaging over 5 per match.
She made 7 double faults in the Miami final against Sabalenka, and there have been times this season when her serve has completely fallen apart, as in her performance against Elina Svitolina in Dubai, where she made 12 double faults.
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As far as Gauff’s head-to-head against Sabalenka is concerned, it was 6-6 heading into Miami. The American has gotten the better of the Belarusian in some big matches in the past, including two Grand Slam finals, in which she had no issues countering the Belarusian’s serve. So it is not the case that the American needs to make wholesale changes to her style, as it has served her well against the same opponent in the past.
The Miami runner-up finish couldn’t have come at a better time for Gauff, as she now heads into the clay season with renewed confidence. She will need it, as she has a lot of points to defend on the dirt from her runner-up finishes in Madrid and Rome, as well as the title at Roland Garros from last year.
