Coco Gauff wiped the sweat off her brow as she bowed her head and walked to the net.
She had just lost in the fourth round of the US Open in front of a capacity crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium to fellow American Emma Navarro in three sets. Her eagerly anticipated title defense was officially over, as was her 2024 major season.
Her disappointment was clear with every step she took off the court.
“Mentally I gave it, and emotionally, I gave it my all,” Gauff later told reporters, before faulting her serving woes for the final result.
The 20-year-old Gauff had recorded 19 double faults in the match, and her serve had been a constant struggle throughout the tournament. In her news conference, she vowed to fix it and said she would consider working with a mechanics coach and getting other opinions.
“[It’s] kind of a mental hurdle that I have to get over,” Gauff said. “But, yeah, I definitely want to look at other things because I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore.”
And since that devastating September day in New York, Gauff has lived up to her promise. Not only has she improved her serve, she hasn’t lost much either. The 2025 season — which technically began during the last week of December — has gotten off to a strong…
