Gauff reveals her main goal for Rome: “To improve my serve”

Coco Gauff has one goal, in particular, when it comes to her performances at the Italian Open and it won’t come as a big surprise to anyone who watched her last time out in Madrid; to serve better.

The US Open champion has struggled on and off with her serve in the past few years. When it’s on, as it was in New York last summer, she has shown she can win Grand Slams; when it’s off, as it was last week in Madrid when she double-faulted 13 times in losing to Madison Keys in the last 16, then she can be vulnerable.

And as she prepared to begin her title bid in Rome this week, she made no secret of where she wants to improve in the next 10 days.

“I think for me it’s just serving better than I did last week, honestly,” the American told reporters at the Foro Italico. “I feel like the other parts of my game are very improving in the right direction. I feel like that’s the part that if I can work that through, I think it will set me up for a very good Roland-Garros.

“I think last week, even though I lost 6-4 in the third (with) like 14 double-faults (it was actually 13), this is like four or five games. I feel if I’m still close in these matches against Maddie (Madison Keys), who is like a top player, I think I just fix that detail, it will save me and maybe those matches would turn into winning in straight sets instead of losing in three sets.

“Other than that, I feel like I’m returning well, hitting off the ground well. For me, if I can get that part well, I can do well.”

Gauff begins her campaign against either Magdalena Frech or Ashlyn Krueger in the second round.

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