Is Coco Gauff on the verge of tennis greatness, fueled by a revamped serve? Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, thinks so, making a surprisingly bold prediction that has the tennis world buzzing. But here's where it gets controversial... can Gauff truly overcome her past serving struggles to dominate the sport?
Coco Gauff's recent collaboration with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan is already showing promising results. Appointed as her head coach just before the US Open, MacMillan's primary mission was to address Gauff's serving woes. Consider this: leading up to the partnership, Gauff had racked up a staggering 320 double faults in just 48 matches! That's an average of nearly seven double faults per match – a significant liability at the highest level of professional tennis.
While Gauff's US Open campaign ended in the fourth round, her performances in Beijing and Wuhan have been noticeably stronger with MacMillan in her corner. And this is the part most people miss... it's not just about eliminating double faults; it's about fundamentally changing the mechanics to build a more reliable and powerful serve.
The clearest evidence of MacMillan's impact came during Gauff's opening match at the Wuhan Open against Moyuka Uchijima. Gauff achieved something remarkable: zero double faults. This single statistic speaks volumes about the progress being made. To put it in perspective, it's like a basketball player who suddenly fixes their free throw percentage after struggling for years.
Rick Macci, who famously coached Serena and Venus Williams during their formative years, has been closely observing Gauff's progress. His assessment, shared on X (formerly Twitter), is raising eyebrows. Macci stated that Gauff "now feels the mandatory biomechanical changes to her serve and already is delivering in combat." He elaborated, explaining that previously, advice given to Gauff was "only a reaction to a symptom." Now, according to Macci, Gauff "understands the origins/culprits and has rewired the muscle memory." He concludes with a stunning prediction: "Before the double faults/first serves were a mystery, and we will see one of the best serves down the road in tennis history."
Let's delve deeper into Gauff's serving statistics from the 2025 Wuhan Open to see if the numbers support Macci's optimistic view. In that standout match against Uchijima, beyond the zero double faults, Gauff also fired five aces, achieved an impressive 85% first serve percentage, and won 89% of points on her first serve. These are elite-level numbers.
In her third-round match against Zhang Shuai, the 21-year-old added another three aces to her tally and boasted a second serve win percentage of 82%. Even in her fourth-round match against Laura Siegemund, where she recorded six double faults, Gauff was only broken once, suggesting her serve, even when flawed, was still a weapon.
The decision to bring Gavin MacMillan onboard appears to be paying dividends. Gauff will undoubtedly aim to finish the year strongly and capitalize on a full pre-season with her new coach. But is Macci's prediction too optimistic? Could Gauff's serve truly become one of the best in tennis history? Or will the pressure and scrutiny of the spotlight prove too much? What do you think – is Coco Gauff destined for greatness, or are there still too many hurdles to overcome? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
