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By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, Could 21, 2024
Reigning Roland Garros champion lga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff have fairly a historical past.
It has been a horror present for Gauff.
More: Swiatek Sweeps Sabalenka for Third Rome Crown
Down a break early, Swiatek sped via eight of the final 11 video games to cost into the Rome remaining with a 6-4, 6-3 conquest of Coco Gauff final week.
Swiatek has gained 10 of 11 conferences vs. Gauff sweeping 21 of 23 units.
Whereas Gauff confirmed a willingness to amp up the tempo of her forehand and attempt to take it to Swiatek in Rome, the highly effective Pole has now claimed all eight units they’ve performed on clay.
So how can Gauff clear up her Swiatek drawback?
Corridor of Famer and Tennis Channel analyst Martina Navratilova supplied two key adjustments Gauff should make to problem Swiatek.
1. Shift the grip of her forehand, over time, from a full western grip to a semi-western grip.
2. Serve greater and earn extra free factors on first serve.
In a convention name with the media right this moment to advertise Tennis Channel’s Roland Garros protection beginning on Sunday at 5 a.m. Japanese with first ball motion stay, Navratilova stated Gauff “can dominate” if she improves the forehand.
“Nicely, you have to enhance the forehand by some means,” Navratilova stated on the Tennis Channel convention name. “You may get away with beating lots of people with it, but it surely’s simply not as stable because it must be on the high of the sport for her to actually begin dominating.
“And she will dominate, however the forehand must get higher.”
The legendary left-handers stated shifting the grip barely to a extra semi-western would give Gauff a much bigger strike zone on her forehand and theoretically ought to assist her deal with the low ball higher, too.
“I might tweak the grip a bit bit — you do not have to tweak it an excessive amount of,” Navratilova stated. “You may simply do it a bit bit at a time in order that it nonetheless feels comfy.
“However she wants a much bigger candy spot, a much bigger hitting zone on the forehand. It is a small hitting zone with such an excessive grip and it simply limits you. I feel on clay she ought to be okay. Arduous courts, excessive bouncing arduous courts she’s okay, however low bounces it is actually tough to seek out a gap with it.”
Whereas a grip change might sound drastic, take into account Gauff already makes the grip change in doubles when she transitions from baseline to web and switches to a extra continental volley grip.
World No. 3 Gauff has dedicated 213 double faults this season, most by any Prime 100 participant. Navratilova asserts Gauff, who leads the Tour in return video games gained, should reduce down on the double faults and make her first serve a much bigger weapon with a purpose to take a look at Swiatek.
“You do not need to preserve harping on it, but additionally make her serve into a much bigger weapon, much more stable,” Navratilova stated. “She’s obtained the peak. She’s obtained the physique for it, the energy and the method, in addition to the physique.
“I feel she simply must make that serve a bit bit extra of a weapon, get some free factors.”
Photograph credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
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