Coco Gauff has struggled to find form since lifting the French Open title in June.
The world number two was on top of the tennis world in June after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win her first French Open title.
However, Gauff has experienced a significant dip in form since that victory.
The American star crashed out in the first round of Wimbledon, losing to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. This was followed up by a shock exit in the Canadian Open fourth round at the hands of 18-year-old Canadian star Victoria Mboko.
Gauff had struggled for consistency during the tournament, hitting 23 double faults in an earlier round against Danielle Collins. Her inconsistency was exposed by Mboko, who defeated the American in 62 minutes.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Those on The Tennis Podcast have weighed in on Gauff’s form, explaining why she looks ‘very confused’ at this current time.
David Law says Coco Gauff looked ‘confused’ on court
Gauff’s form is a concern heading into the US Open: her current level of play is a far cry from what is required to win a major title.
The American’s loss was not a huge surprise considering her woeful performance against compatriot Danielle Collins. Gauff’s 23 double faults made up part of the 74 unforced errors she committed during the match.
Gauff also served 14 double faults against Veronika Kudermetova in the next round. In the round of 16, when she matched up against an in-form opponent like Mboko, she was punished. The Canadian romped to victory, winning 6-1 6-4 in 62 minutes.
Tennis journalist Catherine Whitaker, speaking on The Tennis Podcast, noted the severe issue Gauff is struggling with: her serve.
Whitaker said: “This is the only match all year where Coco Gauff hasn’t broken serve. And frankly, right now, if she’s not breaking serve, she doesn’t stand a chance of winning a tennis match because of the state her own serve is in which is David, a very, very bad one.”
BBC tennis commentator David Law replied: “Yeah, I mean, I can’t think of too many matches that I’ve ever seen where somebody’s hit 23 double faults [against Danielle Collins] in a three-set match and won it. And it’s a great credit to her that she finds ways.
“I was struck by just how lost… she looked confused. She looked about why it’s going wrong. I just detected somebody who is very confused right now and that must be a horrible feeling when you’re as experienced as Coco Gauff is, that you’ve won two Grand Slams, one of them quite recently. You’ve come off the back of that.
“Where has the game gone? How have you gone from grand slam champion to this in the space of three months and barely won matches. It’s very surprising.”
Matt Roberts, a tennis journalist, added: “I think what we’ve learned about Coco Gauff in the last year or so is that she’s probably never as high as you think she is, because the technical flaws are always lurking, and they can come in seemingly out of nowhere.
“But then, she’s never as low as you think she is either, because she’s Coco Gauff and she’s so resilient, she’s so incredibly mentally strong and talented generally, that she can flip that form on its head and suddenly she can go and win a Grand Slam title.
“But what I would say is that she did find form before those slams, both times, you know, like, two years ago, Washington and Cincinnati, she won, and then she won the US Open as well. And obviously this year, she had the finals in Madrid and Rome, didn’t she?
“So she went into those slams off the back of some pretty recent, really big struggles with her game, but also just finding form in the nick of time. And I feel like for her to win the US Open. It does feel like Cincinnati is pretty big for her.”
Coco Gauff’s crucial Cincinnati Open
If Coco Gauff is to find form ahead of the US Open, it has to be at the Cincinnati Open.
The American has history on her side: the Cincinnati Open marked Gauff’s capturing of a first WTA 1000 title.
At the 2023 Cincinnati Open, Gauff defeated the likes of Jasmine Paolini and Iga Swiatek on her way to the final, before beating Karolina Muchova in straight sets to lift the title.
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As with any Grand Slam tournament, form is key. If Gauff cannot correct her wayward form at the Cincinnati Open, it is likely that she will struggle at Flushing Meadows.
This point is proven by Gauff’s own achievements: she went on to lift her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open after winning the Cincinnati Open title.