Coco Gauff has been advised to make a significant addition to her game next year.
Gauff is playing at the China Open this week, in her first tournament since her heart-breaking loss to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the US Open semi-finals.
It has been a mixed season so far for Gauff, who won the Cincinnati Open, but has not reached the final of any Grand Slam tournament this year.
A lot of the focus around Gauff in recent years has been the flaws in both her forehand and serve, but she has now been told to make an addition to her game next year.
Coco Gauff told to come to the net more by Alexandra Stevenson
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Alexandra Stevenson was discussing Gauff in the latest edition of her podcast, and pointed out her previous doubles successes, having been doubles world number one in 2022 and winning the Roland Garros doubles title alongside Katerina Siniakova in 2024.
Gauff showcased her net game more at Wimbledon this year, and Stevenson is hoping this is something her compatriot will continue to implement throughout the 2027 season to give herself an advantage against many of her biggest rivals.
“Remember early on Coco would play doubles and she could play the net, and then she slowed down doubles because it does get difficult playing doubles and singles,” said Stevenson. “But what she found at Wimbledon was her volley…and I think for next year that could carry her through.
“Get her serve together, a higher serve percentage, if she gets a higher serve percentage her forehand doesn’t become so wobbly. But also the girls are coming after her forehand, so it’s actually more consistent.”
Stevenson added, “She comes forward more to the net, that could be a game changer for 2027. Because really Coco and [Karolina] Muchova, maybe [Linda] Noskova a little bit, I’m not seeing many women coming forward. Besides Taylor Townsend, she is the disruptor.”
Who do you think will win the women’s singles title at the China Open this year?
How effective was Coco Gauff’s net game at Wimbledon and the US Open?
Wimbledon was where Gauff really reintroduced her net game again, particularly during her semi-final defeat to Karolina Muchova.
The grass really helped Gauff with this approach and it is something she found a lot of success with, winning 71.7% of points when she came to the net.
While Gauff did not use it as much at the US Open, she was still noticeably coming to the net more and once again won over 60% of her points when she did so throughout the tournament.
| Coco Gauff’s net game | Wimbledon | US Open |
| First Round | 14/16 | 4/8 |
| Second Round | 8/10 | 11/18 |
| Third Round | 16/23 | 15/22 |
| Fourth Round | 19/27 | 16/22 |
| Quarter-final | 15/24 | 19/28 |
| Semi-final | 32/45 | 10/14 |
| Overall | 104/145 (71.7%) | 75/112 (61.5%) |
It will be interesting to see whether Gauff continues this approach during the Asian swing, which has been one of her most successful parts of the season in recent years.
Gauff is a former champion at the China Open, and she will play her first match at this year’s tournament against Camila Osorio on Saturday, October 3.
