As Coco Gauff ventures into a crucial phase in her tennis journey, Martina Navratilova, an avid observer of the rising star’s career, reflects on Gauff’s recent progress and anticipates the evolution that lies ahead, particularly with her forehand.
Navratilova, a long-time admirer of Gauff’s burgeoning talent since her breakout, closely monitored her performances, including her spirited display at the WTA Finals in Cancun. Despite not securing a semifinal berth, Gauff exhibited noticeable improvement compared to her previous appearances, leaving an impression on the seasoned tennis legend.
Highlighting Gauff’s commendable achievements throughout the season, Navratilova emphasized the significance of her triumphs, notably clinching the prestigious US Open and securing victory at the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati. With these accomplishments in her arsenal, Gauff now has the opportunity to focus on refining her skills and advancing her game.
In a recent interview with the WTA, Navratilova addressed the intriguing prospect of Gauff’s future development, particularly honing in on her forehand, a stroke that she believes holds significant potential for improvement.
“The next step for Coco? What happens with the forehand? Will she start hitting more forehands down the line or rolling it crosscourt? Late in the season, I noticed she was hitting those loopy forehands more often,” Navratilova mused.
Expressing keen interest in Gauff’s coaching team’s plans for refining her forehand technique, Navratilova emphasized the critical role of Gauff’s current coach, Brad Gilbert, in devising potential solutions to enhance her game, especially focusing on rectifying what Navratilova perceives as Gauff’s weakest shot.
“I really look forward to what coach Brad Gilbert tries to do if he tries to change the forehand and her extreme western grip,” Navratilova expressed, underlining the technical challenges posed by Gauff’s current grip, particularly with low balls.
Navratilova highlighted the technical limitations Gauff faces due to her grip, leading to unforced errors, and suggested modifications during the off-season to alleviate these constraints.
“I think that’s where the grip is so limiting it’s physically impossible to get under the ball when it’s that low with that grip,” Navratilova explained. “Change it to make it a little bit easier to hit those low balls or maybe she just learns to re-grip and use a slightly different stroke.”
While Gilbert previously conveyed contentment with Gauff’s forehand, Navratilova speculates on potential alterations. She emphasizes the urgency of addressing technical adjustments during the off-season to enhance Gauff’s game without disrupting her competitive rhythm.
As the tennis world awaits Gauff’s next chapter and potential refinements to her game, the focus remains on how her coaching team, particularly Gilbert, will navigate and potentially enhance her forehand technique in preparation for the upcoming season.
Coco Gauff in 2023
WWLWWWWWLW At the moment ranked no.3 (career-high), Coco played her last match on the 4th of November when she surrendered to world no.5 Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-1 in the semifinal in Cancun (draw).
Currently, during this season the American achieved an overall 51-16 win-loss record. Gauff has won 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Coco Gauff |
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