Aryna Sabalenka offers advice to Coco Gauff after she crumbles in Wuhan Open defeat | Tennis

The world number two has an unbeaten record in Wuhan, winning the title in 2018 and 2019 before the tournament was absent for five years. Her winning streak continued into 2024, although Sabalenka almost suffered her first defeat in the Chinese city.

But Gauff’s game unraveled when she was suddenly broken in the second set after committing three double faults in one game. It’s a feeling that Belarusians know all too well.

A few years ago, Sabalenka was the one struggling with her serve. She hired a biomechanics coach in 2022 and has since won three Grand Slam titles.

Asked what it was like facing someone experiencing similar serve issues, the 26-year-old said: “I was playing that match thinking, like, well, girl, I feel you. I feel you like no one else.

“I know what she’s going through. This is really difficult. This is very difficult. But I know that if she can overcome this serve situation, she is already one of the best players, but I’m sure she will be one of the best players.”

Now that Sabalenka came out on the other side of her own serves, she knew she could apply some pressure on Gauff to get back into the match. She continued: “I mean, what was it like?

“At some point in the second set, when she kept breaking me, I thought, okay, I still have a chance on her serve. I was just trying to put as much pressure on her as possible so she would get even crazier on her serve.”

“Yes, I think she just dropped her level on her serve. I just thought, okay, I still have some chances in this match. I was trying so hard to get the balls back to the other side as much as I could.”

As for her own experience, Sabalenka explained that the problem was technical and mental. She added: “Well, I would say it first started as a technical problem. But then when you’re serving so many double faults, you’re stuck thinking, ‘Is this going to happen again or can I make this serve?’

“Then it became a mental problem. So you just have to deal with both, which is really difficult and difficult. You have to be mentally strong enough to get through it.”

“I think so, I just started this journey with the biomechanics guy. I just don’t believe that, okay, my booty is still there. I just kept working, kept trying, kept serving. He keeps committing double faults sometimes, but already understanding what is happening there without thinking about whether it will happen again or not.

“It’s a long process. I’m still going through this. But yes, it’s both. Honestly, it’s both.”