Coco Gauff’s shortcoming which caused her to lose to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2025 Madrid Open was pointed out by Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci. By defeating Gauff in the final, Sabalenka clinched her third Madrid Open title and ninth WTA 1000 title overall.
This marked Gauff’s 10th encounter with Sabalenka on the WTA Tour and her fifth loss to the World No. 1.
Coco Gauff Lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the Final of the 2025 Madrid Open
Gauff was seeded fourth at the WTA 1000 clay court event in Madrid and she began her campaign in the second round after a first-round bye. She defeated Dayana Yastremska 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 in her opening match and then triumphed over Ann Li 6-2, 6-3, and Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
In the quarterfinals, Gauff defeated seventh seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-1, and then eliminated second seed Iga Świątek 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals to secure her spot in the final. In the championship match, she fell short against top seed Sabalenka, losing 3-6, 6-7(3).
After Gauff’s loss, Macci took to social media and pointed out that the World No. 4’s “athletic ability” and her “quickness” are her strengths. He also mentioned that Gauff needs to improve her “second serve” and “racquet” to win more matches.
“Coco has more upside because of her athletic ability. Quickness is so quick you cannot see it. But with an average of 7 doubles per match plus to many cupcakes in the middle of the box to munch on. Biomechanically the second serve in general is disjointed but can be fixed in one hour and now serve notice and number one is now on her racquet. @CocoGauff,” Macci posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Coco has more upside because of her athletic ability. Quickness is so quick you cannot see it. But with an average of 7 doubles per match plus to many cupcakes in the middle of the box to munch on. Biomechanically the second serve in general is disjointed but can be fixed in one…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) May 4, 2025
Macci also praised Gauff as “unique” but reiterated that the American needs to enhance her second serve to minimize errors and ultimately win matches.
“Coco is so UNIQUE. I always play the WHAT IF CARD. Tweaking/ Speaking will not solve the double fault Leaking. Once the toothpaste is out of the Tube it hard to solve like Rubics Cube. A science based tube of Paste will deliver a new Taste and her second serve will feel no Nerve her kicker will be nasty go deeper and Curve. @CocoGauff,” Macci added.
Coco is so UNIQUE. I always play the WHAT IF CARD. Tweaking/ Speaking will not solve the double fault Leaking. Once the toothpaste is out of the Tube it hard to solve like Rubics Cube. A science based tube of Paste will deliver a new Taste and her second serve will feel no Nerve…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) May 4, 2025
Coco Gauff Addresses Madrid Open Final Loss to Aryna Sabalenka
After her defeat to Sabalenka in the final of the 2025 Madrid Open, Gauff expressed that she felt that the Belarusian had significantly improved in all aspects of her game. She mentioned that the World No. 1’s confidence was a key factor in her consistency on the court.
“I feel like she just got a lot better in everything. I think she just probably is more confident, so that’s why the consistent results are happening,” Gauff said [via WTA Tour].
Looking ahead, both Gauff and Sabalenka will next compete at the 2025 Italian Open. Last year, the Belarusian finished as the runner-up after losing to Świątek in the final, while Gauff made it to the semifinals before being defeated by the Pole.