Coco Gauff overcomes imposter syndrome, serve woes at Miami Open

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The violently violet arcs of Coco Gauff’s racket and the sharp squeak of her sneakers have provided the soundtrack to the most compelling American story of this Miami Open, a tournament in which the 22-year-old is authoring the deepest run of her career. Tuesday’s quarter-final dismissal of No. 12 Belinda Bencic propelled Gauff into Thursday’s semi-final against Czech Karolina Muchova and, more importantly, offered fresh evidence that the Floridian is learning to quiet both a temperamental serve and the imposter syndrome that has trailed her since childhood.

“I think sometimes I can get imposter syndrome,” Gauff admitted after securing her place in the final four. “Even when they’re saying my accomplishments when I walk out, it doesn’t feel like me. I’m like, ‘Oh, actually, I do have a good career.’”

Those accomplishments are hardly modest. Since stunning Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2019 as a 15-year-old, Gauff has accumulated nearly 300 tour-level victories, 11 titles and more than $30 million in prize money, including Grand Slam singles crowns at the 2023 US Open and the 2025 French Open. Yet the numbers feel abstract to the player currently ranked No. 4 in the world.

“It just feels like I shouldn’t be where I am, but tennis doesn’t lie,” she said. “The ball doesn’t lie. So I just have to believe in myself.”

That belief has been stress-tested by a serve that continues to betray her at critical moments. Through her first four matches in Miami—all three-setters—Gauff totaled 18 aces against 30 double faults, extending a season-long trend that sees her lead the WTA in doubles (120) while placing 67th in aces (21) and 115th in first-serve percentage (61.7%). She has averaged more than 7.5 double faults per match in 2025, a pace that would eclipse her own league-worst totals from the previous two seasons.

The mechanical overhaul is being supervised by a deliberately compact team: parents Corey and Candi Gauff, longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel, physiotherapist Maria Vago, hitting partner Johan Tatlot, fitness coach Richard Woodroof and newly added biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan, whose previous work with Aryna Sabalenka helped the Belarusian tame similar serving yips. Gauff parted ways with serve-and-grip coach Matt Daly last August, days before the 2025 US Open, and earlier split with tactical guru Brad Gilbert after her failed title defense at Flushing Meadows in 2024.

“I don’t like being around a lot of people,” Gauff said of her preference for a tight-knit group. “Knowing these people are gonna have to see all sides of you… it’s almost like a relationship, but without the weird stuff.”

When the serve deserts her, Gauff leans on the raw physical tools that many peers regard as the best on tour. Against Bencic she banked on superior stamina, a decision that paid off as she outlasted the Swiss in the humid Miami night. The victory continued a pattern of attrition: Gauff has needed three sets in every match this fortnight, yet her speed and court coverage have kept her alive long enough to find solutions in the decider.

A win over Muchova on Thursday would lift Gauff past Iga Swiatek into the No. 3 ranking and edge her closer to the sport’s summit occupied by Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, the latter of whom leads the tour this season with 148 aces. Gauff, who posted a career-high 260 aces against 219 double faults in 2023—her only full season with more aces than doubles—openly covets Rybakina’s serving consistency.

For now, the focus is internal. Between data-driven tweaks and simplified feel-based adjustments, Gauff is attempting to synchronize body and mind. The process can look messy—30 double faults in four matches is, by any measure, a liability—but the resilience required to survive it has become a source of pride.

Spotting a young girl in the stands during the Bencic clash reinforced why the grind matters. “I told myself, I just want to try to be the best version I can be, so that they have someone good to look up to,” Gauff said.

Whether the serve cooperates or not, that version is still good enough to keep her in the Miami conversation—and, perhaps by the weekend, in the conversation for a first Miami Open trophy.