As Coco Gauff continues to gut out wins at the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal despite battling major serving issues, renowned coach Rick Macci weighed in with a pointed analysis. In a pair of tweets, Macci addressed Gauff’s well-documented second-serve woes and suggested they could be fixed “in less than a week” with the right adjustments.
Rick Macci Suggests Simple Tweaks Could Transform Coco Gauff’s Second Serve
The 21-year-old, currently the top seed in Montreal, has endured a challenging path through the draw, marred by an eye-popping number of double faults. Her second-round 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) win over fellow American Danielle Collins became an error-filled three-setter, with Gauff racking up 23 double faults, marking the fifth-most ever recorded in a WTA match.
Coco Gauff winning a match in which she hit 23 double faults on a clean ace is the most Coco Gauff thing ever pic.twitter.com/zXZQS2HAbo
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) July 30, 2025
This isn’t an isolated issue. Gauff has recorded at least 21 double faults on two other occasions in 2024. The first came in a loss to Aryna Sabalenka at the Wuhan Open, and the second appeared in a hard-fought win over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima at Indian Wells.
Even her third-round win over Veronika Kudermetova in Montreal, where she committed 14 more double faults, showed that the problem is lingering despite her determination to push through it.
Macci analyzed the issue on X, emphasizing that Gauff’s technical issues are not permanent flaws but rather fixable mechanics that just need proper adjustment. “With every athlete you have to play the WHAT IF CARD. If Coco had an ATP forehand with style she would go the extra mile,” he wrote.
“It can be changed with the right tweak and could be reconnected in less than a week. With her second serve this can be rewired easily right from the ground and in 1 hour be a weapon and fundamentally sound,” Macci added.
With every athlete you have to play the WHAT IF CARD. If Coco had an ATP forehand with style she would go the extra mile. It can be changed with the right tweak and could be reconnected in less than a week. With her second serve this can be rewired easily right from the ground…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) August 1, 2025
In a follow-up post, Macci doubled down on his belief in her competitive spirit. “Coco knows how to survive and thrive. Mentally she is beyond elite and that is the key reason she is hard to beat. Her movement is a bullet and shrinks the court and the best athlete in the sport,” he added.
Coco knows how to survive and thrive. Mentally she is beyond elite and that is the key reason she is hard to beat. Her movement is a bullet and shrinks the court and the best athlete in the sport. @CocoGauff
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) August 1, 2025
Gauff now sets her sights on a fourth-round clash with Canadian wildcard Victoria Mboko, a rematch of their three-set thriller in Rome earlier this season. A win there could see her face either Zhu Lin or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the quarterfinals.
Off the singles court, Gauff is also making a mark in doubles alongside McCartney Kessler. The American pair advanced to the quarterfinals after toppling the No. 7 seeds Ellen Perez and Lyudmyla Kichenok. They will next face the winners between the top-seeded duo Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini and Jeļena Ostapenko/Barbora Krejčíková.
