Coco Gauff had a moment in Dubai that grabbed more attention than her winners, and Kim Clijsters thinks the story is bigger than a single outburst.
As a 20-year-old, Gauff has gone from teenage prodigy to a player whose serve is now under a microscope, and Clijsters used her Love All podcast to explain how media attention, practice limitations, and communication with coaches can all conspire to make problems worse.
Serve Under the Microscope
Clijsters pointed out that attention amplifies mistakes, particularly the serve, which can hand free points to opponents before rallies even start. She noted that commentators and media are quick to single out double faults, a habit that piles pressure onto a player in live matches rather than in practice sessions during matches.
Gauff added Gavin MacMillan to her team last August to overhaul her technique, but Clijsters said technical tweaks do not erase mental load. Serving changes often take months, and the visible stumbles like multiple double faults feed a narrative that can be hard to shift even when parts of the serve improve and confidence rebuilds over time.
We should avoid inventing numbers, but the reporting notes double faults can reach double figures and unforced forehand errors have been a feature during stretches of matches. Clijsters warned that this combination hands opponents too many free points and forces Gauff into damage limitation rather than dictating play, which is costing her momentum in sets.
That’s the thing that I think for Coco, it’s going to take time and, you know, it’s all about the communication that she has.
Kim Clijsters
Clijsters acknowledged the Dubai moment where Gauff appeared to show frustration toward her coach, and she framed the reaction as understandable rather than alarming. The Belgian emphasized patience for a young player working through a technical and mental patch under intense public scrutiny.
Mental Work And Practical Tips
On the podcast Clijsters discussed the limits of practice when it comes to the mental side, noting you cannot recreate match pressure in drills. She suggested big matches themselves can be used as training ground to habituate the feeling of playing under scrutiny, and match exposure builds tolerance to pressure in real time.
She endorsed simple routines such as aiming at targets on court and visualizing placement even when markers are absent, a technique she used herself. Visual cues can focus attention and replace the spiraling thoughts that follow a long run of double faults, and those micro habits can stack into big confidence gains over a season.
Clijsters also warned about too many voices and conflicting advice around Gauff, saying sometimes less tinkering is better. She believes the player and her core team should streamline changes so Gauff can build confidence rather than chase constant fixes amid media noise.
Privacy, Rage Rooms And The Bigger Picture
Gauff’s frustration at the Australian Open, where she smashed a racket after a quarter-final loss, sparked debate about player privacy versus public scrutiny. Cameras caught the moment and it went viral, prompting the player to call for more private spaces to process strong emotions off camera and away from social media commentary.
Tournament organizers have started to respond, with the Austin Open trialing a ‘rage room’ that gives players a private place to unwind without cameras. Clijsters noted such changes show the sport is listening, and that structural fixes can help reduce outbursts made under pressure while preserving player dignity.
Gauff’s rise has been rapid: a teenage Grand Slam breakthrough followed by consistent deep runs, yet she is still shaping some parts of her game. At 20 she has already reached Grand Slam quarters and Dubai’s later stages, which makes Clijsters’ patience advice rooted in genuine potential rather than indulgence.
Clijsters’ take is straightforward: fix what you can technically, reduce noisy input, and treat big matches as emotional practice. That is practical advice for a young player who remains one of the tour’s most complete and marketable competitors despite a periodic wobble on serve, and it deserves to be taken seriously.
For Gauff the path forward is a mix of targeted practice, simplified communication, and mental conditioning, and Clijsters highlighted that this cannot be rushed. Fans and pundits should temper their timelines because technical changes often need months to translate into consistent match outcomes.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
