Always Play the ‘What If’ Card,” Coco Gauff Receives Crucial Form Advice From Serena Williams’ Childhood Coach

Aryna Sabalenka got the job done, but Coco Gauff made her work for it. In a thrilling Madrid Open final, the Belarusian claimed her third title in the Spanish capital with a 6-3, 7-6(3) win. The world number one breezed through the first set, but the second was a rollercoaster. Gauff saved a championship point and pushed things to a tie-break. She even leveled the breaker at 3-3 after being down 0-3. But then a double fault from the 21-year-old’s racket sealed the match. Such errors have become common from the American but Serena Williams’ ex-coach is mapping out how she can turn the tide!

Coco Gauff has had a rocky ride since her quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open in January. She struggled in the Middle East swing, losing early in Doha and Dubai. Indian Wells and Miami didn’t bring much joy either. In her own words, those were matches she believed she should’ve won. By the time she reached Stuttgart, there was a slight uptick. Gauff made the round of 16 after beating the world number 124. But her run ended with a straight-sets loss to Jasmine Paolini, a player who has also had form issues this year. Even in Madrid, things didn’t start smoothly. She was bageled 6-0 in her opening set against Dayana Yastremska. Gauff survived, but it wasn’t pretty. She couldn’t serve out the match on her first try and barely scraped through.

But once she steadied, the wins started coming. She beat Ann Li and Belinda Bencic, both unseeded, to make the quarters. Then came a major hurdle: Mirra Andreeva, one of the top players this season. That win set up a blockbuster semifinal against Iga Świątek. What happened next? Gauff handed the four-time French Open champ her worst clay-court loss since 2019. It was a stunning performance, and a reminder of what Gauff can do when she’s locked in.

Still, the serve remains the elephant in the room. It’s no secret her double fault problem is real. And it’s not just about one match. In her opener at Indian Wells, she hit 21 double faults against Moyuka Uchijima. In the Madrid final, she served 8 double faults to Sabalenka’s 2. It was a clear difference-maker.

Rick Macci, Serena Williams’s childhood coach, has been vocal about how Gauff can fix it. He said, “Coco is so UNIQUE. I always play the WHAT IF CARD. Tweaking/ Speaking will not solve the double fault Leaking. Once the toothpaste is out of the Tube it hard to solve like Rubics Cube. A science based tube of Paste will deliver a new Taste and her second serve will feel no Nerve her kicker will be nasty go deeper and Curve.”

Coco is so UNIQUE. I always play the WHAT IF CARD. Tweaking/ Speaking will not solve the double fault Leaking. Once the toothpaste is out of the Tube it hard to solve like Rubics Cube. A science based tube of Paste will deliver a new Taste and her second serve will feel no Nerve…

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) May 4, 2025

He didn’t stop there. Macci added, “Coco has more upside because of her athletic ability. Quickness is so quick you cannot see it. But with an average of 7 doubles per match plus to many cupcakes in the middle of the box to munch on. Biomechanically the second serve in general is disjointed but can be fixed in one hour and now serve notice and number one is now on her racquet.”

While the poetry in those lines is something else, the message is clear—there’s a fix, and Gauff has the tools. At one point in the beginning of 2025, when the 21-year-old went on a winning spree at the United Cup, it seemed that she had found the solution. In fact, that’s something she had worked on at the end of the 2024 season. The former US Open champion made a coaching change after her abysmal performance at the US Open in 2024. She double-faulted 19 times in a Round of 16 loss to Emma Navarro at the US Open. She never wanted to lose another match like that again. Therefore, she made a coaching change after parting ways with Brad Gilbert. Enter Matt Daly. He’s a former NCAA Division I player from the University of Notre Dame. Daly joined to help with the major changes, and Madrid is the hope they were looking for.

Coco Gauff thanks Jesus Christ after Madrid Open final

Coco Gauff has reached 11 finals on the WTA Tour so far, and she’s come out on top in nine of them. The only ones that slipped away were the 2022 French Open final against Iga Swiatek and now the 2025 Madrid Open final against Aryna Sabalenka. That’s still an impressive track record by any measure.

 Gauff fought hard all week, and her sportsmanship never wavered. After the final, she leaned on her faith and stayed strong. She said, “I’d like to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ to be here and the opportunity to play in the final. I’d like to congratulate Aryna on an incredible tournament. You’re always tough to face. Congrats to your team. The last… well, you’re always doing well… but the last 4 straight finals I think. Congrats on all the success you’ve been having.”

So now, it’s on to Rome. Gauff has reached the semifinals there twice—in 2021 and 2024—but both times, Świątek ended her run. This year, she’ll be looking to change that. Madrid may not have ended in a title, but it reminded everyone what Gauff is capable of. Even in defeat, she showed fight, belief, and growth. Will Rome finally be where it all clicks?

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