Martina Navratilova has outlined what Coco Gauff needs to work on after watching her opening Australian Open match.
The 20-year-old began her sixth campaign at Melbourne Park with a 6-3 6-3 victory over fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin.
The American was not at her fluent best throughout but against an opponent that is known for making the top players uncomfortable with her game, Coco Gauff was pleased to get through in straight sets.
But Navratilova, who won the Australian Open singles title on three occasions, has identified an area the World number three can sharpen up.
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What does Martina Navratilova think Coco Gauff can improve at the Australian Open?
Gauff struggled with the placement of the bright sunshine at times against Kenin, as she served nine double faults.
After watching her match, Martina Navratilova stressed the need for Gauff to improve her second serve. She only managed to win 27% of the points behind her second delivery, while Kenin won 56% of her second serve points.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion wants Gauff to tighten up this area of her game, but otherwise she was pleased with her performance.
“Just keeping her calm, even when the serve wasn’t working. It has been good this year so far, that match the nerves came in a little bit,” she said during an appearance on the Tennis Channel Live podcast.
“She needs to improve that second serve percentage but most of it is because she double faulted too many times.
“She kept her cool and played well when she had to against an opponent who frankly can be very uncomfortable. At the end of the day it was a comfortable win for her.”
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What did Coco Gauff say about her serve after her Australian Open first round match?
Gauff needed 80 minutes to defeat Kenin and avenge her loss to the same opponent at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
Post-match Gauff also spoke about her serve, which produced six of her nine double faults in the first set.
Despite the battle of the intense sunshine and some nerves of starting another Grand Slam campaign, Gauff was happy to win without her significant difficulty.
“It was a tough match for me today. I knew going in it was going to be difficult, but I’m happy with how I played.
“I maybe could’ve served some second serves better … and I’m just happy I was able to manage today.” Gauff is set to play Britain’s Jodie Burrage in round two.
