Follow us on Google Discover Coco Gauff suffered one of the heaviest defeats of her 2025 season last time out in Beijing…
Taking down Kamilla Rakhimova, Leylah Fernandez, Belinda Bencic, and Eva Lys, Gauff advanced to the semifinals of the China Open, where she met Amanda Anisimova.
In under an hour, Gauff lost to Anisimova, 1-6, 2-6, as she was well-beaten by her fellow American.
Photo by Yanshan Zhang/Getty Images)
The world number three looked out of sorts against Anisimova, leaving many to question what steps Gauff should take next.
Weighing in with her thoughts, a former WTA star shared what she noticed about Gauff when watching her train recently.
Nicole Pratt thinks something is ‘eating away’ at Coco Gauff’s confidence
Appearing as a guest on the latest episode of ‘The Tennis’ podcast, former top 40 player Nicole Pratt commented on Gauff’s struggles.
“[Coco] Gauff is an interesting one. I saw her in Beijing; she actually hit with Storm Hunter there in a session,” she said.
“It is there, but it’s not there.
“There is something underlying, eating away at her confidence.
“We have spoken about the serve a lot, but even beyond that, there is just something not quite right.”
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
As Pratt mentioned, Gauff’s serve has been a big topic of discussion over recent months.
Struggling with the shot in Canada and Cincinnati, Gauff hired specialist Gavin MacMillan as her new coach on the eve of the US Open.
The numbers have improved since, although on her worst days, the problems resurface…
Data setAcesDouble faults1st Serve %Win % on 1st ServeWin % on 2nd ServeCanada/Cincinnati -Average3.711.560%67.3%51.8%Canada/Cincinnati – Worst performance (Montreal 2R vs Danielle Collins)32353%63%57%US Open/Beijing – Average36.168.6%62.6%62%US Open/Beijing – Worst performance (Beijing SF vs Amanda Anisimova)2560%38%50%Coco Gauff’s recent serving numbers
Pratt doesn’t think the serve is Gauff’s only problem, although she has faith in the 21-year-old working it out before the 2026 season begins.
“She is still young, and she can figure it out. A part of the year I love that we don’t talk about to a certain degree is the pre-season, where these players have some time off and recalibrate and review the year,” she said.
“I always love to see where they come back in January. What has changed, and what have they added, or who have they got in their team?
“Because that has an influence on what they are going to be doing day in day out.”
Gauff will want to have things sorted in time for the new year, as she searches for a third Grand Slam title.
Can Coco Gauff win the 2026 Australian Open?
The American star is a two-time major champion, adding a second to her collection earlier this year.
2023 US Open2025 French Open
Gauff is, however, yet to win the Australian Open, but how well has she performed in Melbourne so far in her career?
YearRound lost inOpponentScore2025QFPaula Badosa5-7, 4-62024SFAryna Sabalenka6-7, 4-620234RJelena Ostapenko5-7, 3-620221RWang Qiang4-6, 2-620212RElina Svitolina4-6, 3-620204RSofia Kenin7-6, 3-6, 0-6Coco Gauff’s record at the Australian Open
She came closest to Australian Open glory in 2024, losing out to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Unfortunately for Gauff, she failed in her bid to return to the semifinals this year, falling short against Spain’s Paula Badosa in the last eight.
As one of the best players in the women’s game, Gauff will no doubt have title ambitions when she makes her seventh career appearance at the Australian Open in January.
She will, however, face some stiff opposition from the likes of Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and defending champion Madison Keys.
Sabalenka has reached the final three years running and is a two-time champion at the event, while Keys won her maiden Grand Slam in Melbourne this year.
And despite never reaching the Australian Open final, Swiatek was just a point away from doing so in 2025, and will return with a point to prove in 2026.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious in Melbourne next year but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when the 2026 Australian Open begins on Monday, January 12.