It’s been a very good year for Coco Gauff, with 2025 going down as the year she finally became a multiple Grand Slam champion.

Coco Gauff needs to take inspiration from what Aryna Sabalenka did three years ago heading into 2026

It’s been a very good year for Coco Gauff, with 2025 going down as the year she finally became a multiple Grand Slam champion.

Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open earlier this year, adding the Roland Garros crown to the US Open title she won in 2023.

Last week, the 21-year-old won the Wuhan Open to claim another WTA 1000 event, with beaten finalist Jessica Pegula praising Gauff afterwards.

Despite a relatively good year, Gauff hasn’t escaped criticism, and it seems there are still some flaws that are stopping her from truly dominating the WTA Tour.

Sabalenka is the current world number one, and perhaps a glance towards the Belarusian can help Gauff truly kick on and showcase her maximum potential in 2026.

READ MORE: The new WTA Top 10 after Jessica Pegula reaches the final at the Wuhan Open
Coco Gauff of the United States reacts in the Women’s Singles Semifinal match against Jasmine Paolini of Italy on day 8 of 2025 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center.
Photo by WUHAN OPEN OFFICIAL 2025/VCG via Getty Images

Coco Gauff should draw inspiration from Aryna Sabalenka in 2022
Rewind to 2022, and you won’t find Sabalenka as the dominant force that you see before your eyes in today’s major tennis tournaments.

Sabalenka won the US Open, reached the finals at the Australian Open at the French Open in 2025 and has 10,000 ranking points to her name at the moment.

However, it hasn’t always been this way, with Sabalenka struggling with her serve in 2022, much like Gauff has during 2025.

Rick Macci has backed Gauff to get her serve right eventually, but there is no getting away from the fact that Gauff has smashed 405 double faults this year.

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Her critics would be wise to put the pitchforks away, however, with Sabalenka making 428 in 2022, giving her plenty to work on in the off-season.

The following year, Sabalenka returned to the tour with a vengeance and a sheer determination to start kicking on in her career.

The following year, she won her first Grand Slam title and also claimed several other titles in 2023.

Australian Open – Winner
French Open – Semifinal
Wimbledon – Semifinal
US Open – Finalist
Madrid Open – Winner
Indian Wells – Finalist
Cincinnati Open – Semifinal
It merely shows that Gauff has literally nothing to worry about when it comes to weaknesses in her game, and the challenge is simply to work on those tirelessly, just as Sabalenka did.

Andy Roddick has backed Gauff to iron out the inconsistencies, and right now, she will be looking ahead to the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

How Sabalenka’s double faults in 2022 compare to Gauff’s
Sabalenka double-faults in 2022 – 428 from 55 matches
Gauff double-faults in 2025 – 405 from 61 matches
Intriguingly, Sabalenka has only made 154 doubles faults this year, and that is pretty special considering where her serve was just three years ago.

The world number one has also played 15 more matches this year, and clearly, her service game is on point at this stage of her career.

Tracy Austin has given Gauff some advice on her serve this year, and it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly what the solution is for the world number three.

What Sabalenka’s form from a few years ago proves, however, is that tough times don’t last, but tough characters do.