First Ball Forehand

Congratulations Coco Gauff – DC Champion! Wow, what a fantastic performance and fantastic week for Coco! I’ve been preaching patience for Coco. She has all the tools. She’s doing great. No need to rush. Well, it looks like Coco had other ideas. When she demolished Bencic, I gave her credit, but also felt Bencic was off her game. I was wrong. Adding in this dominating performance over Maria Sakkari, it’s clear all the credit goes to Coco. She’s imposing her game and neither Bencic nor Sakkari had any answers.

Top 3 Takeaways

Coco’s level of play is good enough for top 5 – right now!

Her backhand and movement are already elite. Today, she was aggressive, patient, and mentally tough throughout. At 0-2 down in the second set, I said “Ok Coco, show me something, time to dig deep and not let this slip away.” (Yes, I do talk to myself out loud and to the TV). Coco did exactly that only giving up one more game the rest of the way. She won all the big points from start to finish. Maria tried to get back into it in the first set coming back from 3-0 to 3-2, Coco slammed the door. In the second set, Maria again pushed to get it going with the aforementioned 2-0 and 3-2 leads, but Coco would not be denied. Just impressive and ready for top 5!

Coco’s serve is on it’s way to being the best in the women’s game

With flat bombs and I even saw a slice ace down the middle, the world should watch out on Coco’s serve. I don’t know if it can get to Serena’s level, but I expect it to dominate for many years to come.

Don’t worry about Coco’s forehand

Today, it was steady and better than Sakkari’s. I understand both have better backhands than forehands, but I would’ve expected forehand to forehand rallies to favor Sakkari. That was not the case. What I like about Coco’s forehand is that she’s not pushed around. She just makes too many errors. Coco is able to dictate the rallies and change the direction of the ball. The error correction will come. It sounds like Brad Gilbert has talked to her about more “shape.” That’ll help and if today is any indication, well on it’s way.

Typically, players with heavy topspin and western grips are steady, but not powerful. The spin gives them control, but they’re susceptible to pace. A flat ball that pushes through the court can give them difficulty. If your swing is “loopy” and not compact, that will compound the issue. Coco, though, is such a great athlete and has so much power, that she’s able to overcome and still dictate play. She may see enough improvement just by adding “shape” and not forcing power, but allowing power to come through more naturally. At 19, there’s so much room for improvement. Folks should stop worrying.

What’s next?

So what’s next for Coco Gauff – DC Champion? There’s still plenty of summer tennis left before the U.S. Open. Keep working. Keep your focus. Stay healthy. Continue to be patient. It’s time to also begin working on how you peak for the U.S. Open and refine that routine for majors going forward. Coco is here for the long-term. She has the ability to be a dominating force over the next 15 years. Let’s hope she meets all of her potential and we get the chance to enjoy a magical run.

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