Reset: Coco Gauff seeking answers ahead of US Open title defense

Coco Gauff isn't playing her best tennis ahead of her maiden Grand Slam title defense.

The reigning US Open champ hit a rough patch this summer after opening 2024 with back-to-back major semifinal appearances. Gauff was ousted in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon and the Olympics, managing only a single win in each Paris doubles event.

Gauff's first tournament back on the WTA Tour was the National Bank Open in Toronto. The American looked far from her best in her opening match, committing 36 unforced errors in a straight-sets win over Wang Yafan.

Gauff wasn't as fortunate in the next round, dropping a lopsided 6-4, 6-1 decision to Diana Shnaider in only 70 minutes. Gauff struggled in all aspects of her game against the up-and-coming Russian, with eight double faults partly accounting for 42 unforced errors.

"There is no part of my game that I felt comfortable in today. I just missed so many returns," Gauff told reporters, including theScore, following her defeat. "Backhand, forehand, serve - everything was just feeling off the whole day."

Gauff added: "I even felt that in my (opening) match. I didn't really feel very comfortable. I was just able to edge those out."

It was more of the same at the Cincinnati Open, where Gauff was also the defending champion. The 20-year-old let a 4-2 lead in the deciding set slip away, allowing Yulia Putintseva to pull off a stunning second-round win. Gauff's currently on a five-match skid against top-50 opponents.

She was out of sync and unable to establish a rhythm against the upset-minded Kazakh. It was another off day serving, and routine shots on her stronger backhand side were missed, too.

Gauff skipped her postgame presser but later provided a statement through the WTA Tour.

"I feel like I have to work on consistency, overall," Gauff told the WTA, per Reuters. "I'll probably go home and try to reset. Obviously, I have a lot coming up soon with the US Open, so I think just trying to reset and be ready for that."

Some time off may serve Gauff well heading into New York.

Gauff's Olympic flag-bearing responsibilities along with playing all three disciplines in Paris undoubtedly took a physical and mental toll on the Florida native.

She played seven matches in a five-day span, including two days of double duty. Then she traveled across the Atlantic and quickly transitioned from slow red clay at Roland Garros to fast hard courts.

Gauff's first appearance in Toronto on Aug. 8 was eight days after her last match.

"I knew I was going to go into (Toronto) tired either way. That's just how it is," Gauff said. "Sometimes I question whether I should have played or not. But at the end of the day, I wanted to test myself and see how I'd do being mentally tired a little bit and physically fatigued."

There are no regrets, though, about taking on such a demanding Olympics schedule. Gauff missed the previous Tokyo Games after testing positive for COVID-19 and was eager to bring home a medal. Overall, her Olympic debut was an enlightening experience, despite falling short of the podium.

Gauff found motivation being around other high-level elite athletes. She formed bonds with U.S. track and field stars Sha'Carri Richardson, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall.

Gauff watched with pride as each of her new friends medaled, knowing the different physical and mental challenges they faced before their breakthrough Paris moment.

The seven-time WTA titlist is optimistic her best is yet to come.

"It does inspire me, and also it puts perspective to my age," Gauff told me. "A lot of them are between 24 to 27. I think I learned to trust in my training and trust in the journey, just talking with them and learning about their stories.

"Sometimes when you do well young, you just want everything to happen now. All of them at some point did well young, because they're so good. But I just learned to trust the journey. Your game is going to reach its final form in a few years. I'm 20, so hopefully by, like, 24, I'm there.

Gauff understands she's far from a finished product despite hoisting a major trophy as a teenager and holding the fourth-longest active streak in the WTA's top 10. She knows there's still much work to do.

Recently, opponents have had success targeting Gauff's forehand, subsequently getting unforced errors off her weaker side.

Her serve has its ebbs and flows, as well. There are times when its velocity and placement make it untouchable. But it can also be a huge detriment when double-fault issues come up in bunches, like they did during the clay-court swing.

Gauff went to Charlotte for a few days in the offseason to work with Andy Roddick on her serve. They worked on making her toss more consistent, releasing the ball from her fingertips as opposed to her palm and at shoulder height instead of by her waist.

Acknowledging her serve remains a work in progress, Gauff cherished the opportunity to learn from "one of the best servers ever." And while much has been made about Gauff's serving woes, her statistics are actually similar to last year, when she won the US Open:

Gauff's return stats have improved across the board, too; she's winning nearly 5% more of her return games compared to a year ago.

The World No. 3 will open her title defense against Varvara Gracheva of France, as Gauff seeks to become the first woman in a decade to repeat in New York.

Gauff has a target on her back and expects each opponent to play like they have nothing to lose. And she wouldn't have it any other way - she welcomes the challenge. She knows it'll only benefit her long term, and is exercising patience as she puts her trust in her process.

"I think fans kind of forget that when they see somebody do well (at a young age), that person is (still) developing," Gauff said. "It's great that not just me but other girls are doing well so fast. But I think we also have to give grace (to each other) because we're still becoming better.

"When you look at reasons why some younger girls in the past maybe (didn't) do as well as they (got) older, it's more mental, if anything, not because they physically can't handle it. I think overall I'm just trying to put that in perspective. And, honestly, the Olympics was a great learning experience for me. It really showed me that perspective a lot."