Coco Gauff’s serve is one of the biggest keys to her astonishing success, and she believes it is a weapon that still has opportunity to evolve.
Thanks to strong technique paired with elite athletic power, the world No.3 – who stands at just 175cm tall – has one of the fastest and most damaging serves in the women’s game.
The only teenager ranked in the WTA top 20 is looking to generate more speed on her serve and to have consistent success winning service points against top players.
With the ninth-fastest serve ever recorded on the WTA tour, Gauff told The AO Show podcast that she wants to climb the leader board even higher.
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“My serve is something I wanted to improve the pace. I think when it’s on, it’s pretty tough to stop,” the reigning US Open champion said.
“I don’t know how fast I can get it, my fastest is 128 (mph or 206km/h), I want to get to 130 (209.2km/h) one day.”
Just three other women in recorded history have cracked the 130mph speed barrier.
ALL-TIME FASTEST RECORDED SERVES (WOMEN)
After winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows last year, 19-year-old Gauff identified her serve as an area she can still improve.
Generating conversation was her off-season training with one of the greatest servers of all time in fellow American Andy Roddick who, similarly to Gauff, had the ability to dictate a match with his serve.
Gauff believes in taking any opportunities she can get to improve her game, and says she jumped at the chance to train with Roddick to tweak aspects of her serve.
“It was a really cool experience. I think it was something really small, but it made a lot of difference in my serve,” Gauff said.
“I’m really thankful for him taking the time to do that, especially because he has a family and he’s a busy guy I’m sure, and it was important for me.”
It seems the sky is the limit for Gauff, who admits that becoming the first American teenager since Serena Williams to win the US Open was a major goal, and a point from which she is looking to build.
“I always wanted to win a slam as a teenager,” said Gauff, who turns 20 later this month.
“I’m really happy with how that period in my life went, a lot of ups and downs, but I think I learnt a lot for a lifetime, hopefully I can take what I learnt into my 20’s, and do even better.”
The rising star continues to trend in the right direction, with a career-best semifinal appearance at this year’s Australian Open.
She will next compete in the Californian desert at the prestigious WTA 1000 event at Indian Wells.