Jim Courier: Coco Gauff US Open serving fix “an investment worth making”

NEW YORK—The Tennis Channel Live panel praised Coco Gauff’s efforts to improve her serve in the middle of the 2025 US Open following a narrow first-round win over Ajla Tomljanovic Tuesday night.

“Most people would have waited until after this tournament, maybe sought out some exhibitions to be able to trial it in a low-stakes, low-pressure environment, but that’s not Coco Gauff,” said TC Analyst and former world No. 1 Jim Courier. “That’s why she’s going to be one of the game’s greats, because she’s willing to just lay it on the line constantly and fight through it. Frankly, I love and admire it, and I’m just baffled that she has the chutzpah to do it.”

Gauff was spotted working with biomechanic expert Gavin MacMillan in the days leading up to the final major tournament of the season, later confirming she had parted with coach Matt Daly and had linked up with MacMillan—the coach credited with reworking the serve of current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

“It’s really fascinating,” said Courier. “Jannik Sinner made a change with his footwork before Wimbledon a couple of years ago but that was just the footwork. She’s doing a little bit different things with her hip, her shoulders, with her racquet toss. This is highly complicated stuff, and to put it into practice in real time, I cannot stress enough how much that takes guts.”

Those changes were put to the test under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Tomljanovic, who famously handed Serena Williams the final loss of her career at this very tournament in 2022. Though Gauff served 10 double faults and dealt with a degree of “emotional exhaustion,” she was ultimately able to serve out a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 win over Tomljanovic and reach the second round.

Fellow former world No. 1 Lindsay Daveport noted Gauff is adjusting her ball toss, a graphic illustrating a noticeable shift to the left and farther back to ensure a more effective kick serve.

“You can see her make the real-time adjustments in between what she would miss on the first and what she would do on the second,” noted Davenport, a 1998 US Open champion. “If you were really looking at her, you could see her saying, ‘Ok, now I’m going to do this.’ So, she was trying to implement all these changes, between first, between seconds. That takes energy out of you, as well. My heart really broke when she was admitting that this was such a tough week.

“Normally, when you go into a major, you want things to go great, you’re trying to get your player to feel great about themselves and it’s just a little bit of fine-tuning, ‘Oh, maybe just a few more cross-court.’ Not such detailed instruction.”

Setting the serve aside, TC Analyst Chanda Rubin was impressed by Gauff’s ground game, the likes of which already took the 21-year-old to two Grand Slam titles—including Roland Garros just two months ago.

“She said after the match that it wasn’t great at times, but she had some incredible rallies with Ajla Tomljanovic,” said Rubin, a former Australian Open semifinalist. “There was a high level of tennis at times, and I think a lot of it got overshadowed by the serve, but there was a lot I think she could be proud of how she got through that match.”

Courier predicted Gauff would likely struggle to find her best tennis in Flushing Meadows, but could see these improvements pay off in time for the start of next season.

“When players talk about getting into the zone, that spot where they’re just reacting and flowing and feeling their tennis, they’re not thinking one bit about technique,” said Courier, a four-time Grand Slam champion. “Unfortunately for her, she’s going to have to be thinking about this technique. She has to be super mindful. It’s literally the only thing she’s thinking about when she sets up to hit a serve.

“So, there’s no way she’s 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, that’s an investment worth making.”

Following another trip to the practice court, Gauff will be back in action for her second round against Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic on Thursday.