Gauff survives another stack of double faults but is focused on the bigger picture: “I bet on myself to continue to go big”

Coco Gauff came through another difficult day on serve at the Italian Open on Monday, her 11 double faults not enough to stop her coming back to beat Paula Badosa and reach the quarter-finals.

And though the American has now served 35 double faults in three matches, she says she feels like the work she’s been doing off the court to fix it is beginning to have an effect, even if it’s not obvious to those watching from the sidelines.

“I’ve been working on it,” the US Open champion said. “I think today, even though the double-faults were there, I think it was still a better performance than it was last night.

“I think for me the focus will be getting more first serves in. I think my first-serve percentage was low, but my win percentage was in the high 70s or something like that. I think once I can get that down…”

“I don’t want to lose the 120mph serve”

Gauff said she was looking at the bigger picture, when it comes to her serve, confident that eventually her hard work will pay off and make her even more dangerous.

“I’m going big on the first serve, so I know I’m probably going to miss more,” she said. “I think it’s just finding the balance of going big but also knowing when to slow down the pace just to get the serve in.

“Honestly, I mean, I bet on myself to continue to go big. I know when I go big and my serve goes in, it’s dangerous. Even though this tournament I want to win, I’m trying to think long-term. I don’t want to lose the 120 serve by not going for it.”

Gauff making technical changes

Gauff is not the first player to struggle with double faults. Aryna Sabalenka famously came through a horrible period in her career to become one of the best servers on Tour, consulting a technical expert in the end that made the difference.

The American said she, too, is working on something technical.

“There’s definitely technical changes I’m trying to make,” she said. “It’s obviously tough to do in-season and in-tournament. I feel like from the night before my last match to now, I feel like it’s better. It’s only been two days. I’m trying.”

“It’s more positive and optimistic for me to get through these matches”

And Gauff said she was learning to take more satisfaction from winning matches when she is not at her best.

“I think it’s actually more positive and optimistic for me to get through these matches when you’re not playing your best and still finding a way,” she said.

“I think I’m getting there. I can feel it. Like when I’m playing, today I was definitely a lot more aggressive. Yeah, there were some more errors, but I think that’s the way I want to play in these matches. I know sooner or later I’m going to be making more.

“I kind of played the same way from the first to the third set, but I think the difference was I was just making more of those short balls, putting away the ball more instead of making errors.”

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