Though she is through to the fourth round in Montreal, Coco Gauff has struggled slightly in her return to action at the Canadian Open.
Gauff narrowly escaped Danielle Collins in her opening matchup at the tournament, serving up 23 double faults against her US compatriot.
The American then faced Veronika Kudermetova and dropped the first set against the Russian before forcing a third and final set, and ultimately advancing.
She is playing in her first competition back on the WTA Tour since her disappointing end to the grass swing, where Gauff crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round.
With a close eye on her run in Canada, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rick Macci, has pinpointed an area of the 21-year-old’s game that could improve amid her difficult spell.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesRick Macci says where Coco Gauff can improve her game
Macci took to X and said of Gauff: “With every athlete, you have to play the what-if card. If Coco had an ATP forehand with style, she would go the extra mile.
“It can be changed with the right tweak and could be reconnected in less than a week. With her second serve, this can be rewired easily right from the ground and in 1 hour be a weapon and fundamentally sound.”
With every athlete you have to play the WHAT IF CARD. If Coco had an ATP forehand with style she would go the extra mile. It can be changed with the right tweak and could be reconnected in less than a week. With her second serve this can be rewired easily right from the ground…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) August 1, 2025
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In another post, Macci had high praise for the two-time major champion, stating: “Coco knows how to survive and thrive.
“Mentally, she is beyond elite, and that is the key reason she is hard to beat. Her movement is a bullet and shrinks the court and the best athlete in the sport.”
Coco Gauff reaches second all-time in incredible statistic
Despite not playing her best tennis, Gauff continues to see her name mentioned among the all-time greats.
With her triumph over Kudermetova, she surpassed Caroline Wozniacki in second place for the most wins before turning 22 in Tier One or WTA 1000 events since the format’s introduction.
She has collected a total of 87, which is higher than the likes of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.
Gauff only trails Martina Hingis, who tallied an incredible sum of 154 wins before her 22nd birthday.