'Her serve will become a weapon': Rick Macci gives candid advice to Coco Gauff after China Open loss

Former Serena Williams coach Rick Macci advised Coco Gauff following her defeat in the China Open semifinals. The World No. 3 was eliminated in the tournament semifinals—losing the chance to defend the title—in a performance once again marked by Gauff's errors.

The 21-year-old player has suffered several painful defeats in the second half of the year. Since winning her second major title at the French Open—by defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka—the American has repeatedly struggled with performances plagued by errors and double faults.

In her recent appearance at the China Open, she had survived several complicated opponents, with three-set battles against Leylah Fernandez (No. 25) and Belinda Bencic. The American reached the semifinals with 23 double faults in just four matches. Against Anisimova, it wasn't only the 5 double faults, but the lack of effectiveness on her serve that ultimately cost her the match.

In total, Gauff had a 64% first serve in, but it was of little use, as she won barely 39% of the points with her first serve and a total of 37% overall. Anisimova claimed a convincing victory by 6-1, 6-2 after just 58 minutes, reaching her second WTA 1000 final (where she ended up lifting the title against Linda Noskova).

The doubts return, but hope remains

Doubts are once again cast over Gauff. While she has saved several wins amid her errors, they have proved costly in the final stages. The two-time major champion seemed to have found a better level this week in Beijing, but she once again bid farewell with an erratic performance.

Nevertheless, Rick Macci, former Serena Williams coach, is optimistic about what Gauff can achieve with her serve, considering her young age and the great margin for improvement she still has. "Coco is a champion. She is just 21 years old. Her serve will become a weapon," Macci posted on his X account. "If she unplugs this December, does reconstructive surgery and rewires the muscle memory and learns the ATP forehand, she will be able to hold the baseline and dictate instead of defend."