Developing Coco Gauff’s Serve from a Young Age

Key Points

• The mindset and belief in having a powerful serve are crucial
• It's essential for girls to develop a strong throwing motion to enhance their serve
• Coco started throwing from service line to service line, then from the service line to the baseline, and from baseline to baseline. By the age of 9, she was able to throw from the back fence over the fence on the opposite side. This progression occurred every four to five months starting from the age of 6
• The pronation or wrist snap helps to create the action from up to down
• Coco used an abbreviated action with a short toss to practice snapping her wrist and bouncing the ball directly in front of her.
• She progressed from the service line, to three-quarter court, and eventually back to the baseline.
• Sly prefers his players to build more energy into the serve with a longer take-back
• Work on building momentum into the hip turn, knee bend and then uncoiling all of that together
• Leaning back and placing the weight on the back foot can help generate energy, flow and momentum before releasing into the coil
• The toss is essential for a great serve and should be positioned slightly to the right and in front.