Coco Gauff's forehand remains one of the big 'what ifs' in women's tennis after Miami Open loss
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Published 27/03/2023 at 11:31 GMT
Coco Gauff still has plenty of time on her side at the age of 19, but her forehand issues are one of the 'what ifs' in tennis following her third-round loss to Anastasia Potapova at the Miami Open. Gauff's forehand seems to be her weakness now, and speaking after the defeat, she said about her game that she needs to work on the "execution part". But how can Gauff take the next step?
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There was a point in her defeat to Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the Miami Open where Coco Gauff showcased the superb defensive skills that have helped her break into the top 10 in the world rankings and reach a Grand Slam final.
From the deep return of serve, Gauff is immediately on the defensive. She has to scramble way out to the right on the next shot, then left, then right again, stretching and sliding for balls that few others on the WTA Tour would return. When she gets a chance to attack with her backhand, she pushes Potapova back, and wins the point a couple of shots later.
It was everything that Gauff excels at – and why she is such an exciting and prodigious talent. Yet there were two talking points after the three-set defeat.
One was brought up by Gauff herself: that as excellent as her defence is, it should not be her default approach.
"I think that's kind of been where I've been messing up in all my matches this year. All the ones I've lost I think I lost because of that. I think [my defence] should be more used as a tool in a toolbox than as a weapon.
"I think I have to change my mentality in the game about not relying on that too much because I think sometimes I play a little bit too passive because I know I can get to balls. All the players that are doing well now on tour are big hitters. It's not like I don't have the tools to hit big because I definitely do, I think it's just more so making that the first decision."
The other talking point was Gauff’s forehand, which has been her weaker side for some time and again didn’t seem to hold up under pressure as the match against Potapova wore on.
Gauff’s forehand is perhaps one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ on the WTA Tour right now.
Her backhand is excellent. There was an amusing moment during an exhibition match ahead of the Australian Open that perhaps gave some inadvertent insight into how much Gauff trusts her backhand. “My backhand to your forehand? I’ll take this all day,” said a mic’d-up Gauff as she comfortably exchanged baseline shots with men's world No. 14 Frances Tiafoe, who eventually netted.
The forehand is nowhere near as consistent - from contact point through to where the ball ends up - and doesn’t appear to be a shot that Gauff trusts as much as the backhand. It’s a vulnerability that has cost Gauff in big matches, including last year’s WTA Finals and the 2022 French Open final against Iga Swiatek, who uses a similar extreme Western grip on her forehand to Gauff.
In the very first game of the final, Gauff missed two routine forehands, hitting the top of the net with one and then on break point looping a forehand beyond the baseline. Perhaps those mistakes were down to nerves in her first Grand Slam final, but it didn’t get much better, and eight months later, the forehand still looks an issue.
“I think I need to work on the execution part because I am executing them in practice, certain moments in practice,” said Gauff about her game after her defeat to Potapova.
“It's about transferring that into the match. I think I need to figure out what three things I want to focus on in the match, then maybe go to those points."
Having just turned 19, Gauff clearly has a lot of time on her side and is still doing very well despite her forehand troubles. But for a player who has been tipped as a multiple Grand Slam champion by John McEnroe, does she need to fix the forehand for the biggest titles to follow?
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Former doubles world No. 1 Pam Shriver said earlier this year that Gauff’s forehand issues need to be “solved”. Former world No. 4 Mary Joe Fernandez suggested Gauff could even take “six or eight months off” to work on the shot.
“If she figures out how to manage and improve the forehand all of a sudden it becomes a weapon where she serves and she can actually run around and attack with that side. It becomes a game changer,” said Fernandez on the 'Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe' podcast.
It seems unlikely that Gauff will take a significant chunk of time off to work on her forehand, especially ahead of the clay, which is a surface she has played well on in the past. "I have a clearer picture of how I want to play on that surface," said Gauff about the move to clay. "I definitely think physically usually those are the players that are doing well on clay, so I think that's why it suits me a lot."
Gauff does now have nearly three weeks before she plays again competitively for the United States in the Billie Jean King Cup, which is on hard courts.
"I'm going to use BJK Cup to figure out what I need to do on the hard court to get ready for the hard-court season after Wimbledon," said Gauff about her short-term plans after the Miami Open.
Gauff’s third-round defeat at the Miami Open was only the second time she had lost before the quarter-finals at a tournament since Wimbledon last year (not including one retirement and the WTA Finals). She made the quarters in Indian Wells, semis in Dubai, last 16 at the Australian Open, and started the year by winning the title in Auckland without dropping a set. She has also continued to excel in doubles alongside Jessica Pegula.
But is the forehand improvement key to her taking the next step?
Her record against top-10 players (7-18 and six straight losses without winning a set) shows there is still work to do. Emma Raducanu called Gauff a “great mover and a great athlete” after losing to her at the Australian Open earlier this year, but perhaps Gauff needs a little bit more in her arsenal to become a great champion.
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