G’day from Wimbledon, ????
The world’s top two ranked women’s players have the same holes in their game. It’s called the defensive forehand.
World number one, Iga Swiatek, was bundled out of Wimbledon a couple of days ago by Yulia Putintseva after committing 46 forehand errors in a three-set loss. Read that report HERE.
In 2023, Swiatek committed 57 forehand errors to be bundled out of Wimbledon in 2023. Read that report HERE.
World number two, Coco Gauff, was stunned at Wimbledon yesterday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to Emma Navarro. What was the main reason? Thirty-two forehand errors in 17 games. It’s almost two a game.
Here are the groundstroke metrics for Goff and Navarro.
Forehand Performance
- Gauff = 3 winners / 32 errors = -29
- Navarro = 6 winners / 29 errors = -23
Backhand Performance
- Gauff = 2 winners / 14 errors = -12
- Navarro = 1 winners / 13 errors = -12
Gauff ended up -12 when you subtract errors from winners on the backhand wing but -29 when the spotlight changed to forehands. Navarro’s numbers were in the same ballpark but six points better (-23 to -29) when hitting forehands.
What is going wrong with Swiatek’s and Goff’s forehand? Why are they spraying forehands like an unattended garden hose? With questions like this, it’s always good to watch the video to see the real cause of the forehand errors. Maybe it’s a solid shot from the opponent. Maybe it’s the wrong strategy. Maybe it’s going down the line under pressure…
Who knows until you watch the video?
So, let’s get to it. I am currently sitting at my media desk at Wimbledon and have the Gauff v Navarro match cued and ready to go. Let’s begin at the start of the match and figure out what’s really going on.
LEARN HOW TO MAKE SHORT RALLIES A STRENGTH OF YOUR GAME
Webinar 33: First Strike Tennis
Webinar 17: Return +1 Strategy
SET 1
On the second point of the match, hitting her third forehand of the match, Gauff committed her first forehand error. Navarro hit a deep forehand cross court, and Gauff failed to play defense and missed it on the net. The racket was fast. The ball was deep. Those two things don’t traditionally mesh very well. Gauff’s follow-through looked big, like Rafael Nadal’s follow-through, whipping back over her head.
Gauff was on defense. She did not play defense. Error 1.
At 1-1, Gauf coughed up two more forehand errors, going too steep up the back of the ball. It’s more like a forehand flick than a forehand stroke. All the energy goes straight up. Timing becomes a real challenge.
Forehand error after forehand error after forehand error was caused by a backswing that was too big and didn’t match the speed and depth of the incoming ball. A lack of forehand defense awareness also caused it.
Here’s the golden rule of defense. BLOCK YOUR WAY OUT OF TROUBLE.
Whenever Gauff and Swiatek are on defense on the forehand wing, you will most likely find their follow through too big and back behind their head. Too much size and speed and wrist and flick and problems. Not enough block.
Gauff was up a break, serving at 3-2 on the opening set. She couldn’t hold. At 3-3, she had two break points at 15-40. Gauff committed two forehand errors and added another one at Ad In to help Navarro get out of a tight jam. The forehand error at the end of the game was especially peculiar. Gauff tried to rip it, but it sailed on the full past Navarro and landed closer to the back fence than the court.
Two more forehand errors serving at 3-4. With Gauff serving 4-5, Deuce, she again shanked a forehand off a deep ball because he size of her swing was much bigger than it needed to be. Clean contact was impossible with a swing of that size.
SET 2
The opening game ended with back-to-back forehand errors. The last one was a forehand return against a second serve that landed 10 feet out. The problem for Gauff was that the more she was on defense, the more the forehand errors kept piling up, and the more she was swinging for the fences. Too big. Too much size.
The opening point of her service game at 1-2 identifies her problem. She had to hit a very defensive Serve +1 backhand and correctly blocked her way out of trouble. The very next shot, she had a defensive forehand and blew it way out of the back of the court. The backhand knows how to defend. The forehand does not.
Serving at 15-30, Gauff hit such a bad forehand approach that it almost hit the net post it was so late. She looked to her coaching box with her arms outstretched, motioning that she didn’t know what was going on with her forehand. Gauff would commit four forehand errors in this game to be broken.
With Navarro serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set, Gauff committed another four forehand errors. The last two points of the match were Gauff forehand errors.
By the end of the match, Gauff’s forehand looked like a bent piece of wire.
THE FIX
1: More Opposite Hand
Gauff is right-handed. She needs to keep her left hand on longer in the backswing to keep control of the racket head. Her left hand is not doing a good enough job of keeping the racket on the correct swing plane. It drops too early, and the racket takes off into outer space. The racket gets way too big, making it tough for Gauff to center the ball on her strings when contact needs to be made. More left-hand fixes so many things on a forehand.
2: Too Much Up The Back Of The Ball
Gauff’s extreme forehand grip really helps her shape the ball. But you don’t need all that shape when you are on defense. You need blocking energy. Not clipping the edge of the ball energy. Gauff gets too excessive when she brushes up the back of the ball on a tough ball. Got to get through it first. She shanked too many forehands way out in this match. Hitting through the ball gets it over the net and helps land the ball deep in the court.
3: Balance and Body Position
Look at the picture above. Back foot. Off balance. Leaning back. Big swing. On defense. It doesn’t work. When the ball comes hard and deep. Gauff is playing offense on defense. It never works.
4: Racket Head Speed
Gauff, like Swiatek, tends to “swat” at the ball on defense with extremely fast racket head speed. They try and spin their way out of trouble. It’s almost impossible to hit the ball clean like that. Both players have got to get more through it rather than up the back so violently and slow the racket head down to control the shot more.
5: Serve +1 Forehand Defense
Gauff needs to come out of her service position and be ready to make a short swing – not a big, fast one. Navarro hit a lot of solid returns that gave Gauff little time to get ready. This is definitely not the wheelhouse of her game. Got to practice hitting a serve and blocking the strong return deep down the middle of the court.
6: Follow Through Is Too Big
You can break a forehand down into three areas. Backswing. Contact. Follow Through. When on defense, Gauff is way too big on her backswing and follow through. It’s like she has just one forehand – an offensive one suited to a ball that gives her all day to prepare. The follow-through is often wrapped around her body, flying back over her head, or pulling down like in the picture above to try and keep the ball in the court. Shortening it is the answer.
7: The Moment
The more the match went on, the more Gauff lost confidence in her shaky forehand. She made four forehand errors in the last game. When she needed to put it in the court, she couldn’t. The more pressure the forehand was under from the pressure of the match, the more it broke down.
Swiatek and Gauff have almost identical forehand problems and solutions. They need to take the next couple of weeks away from the tour and commit to learning a defensive forehand—neither one of them has one now. Because of this, they both lost their chances to win Wimbledon this year.
The worst thing is that each player had these forehand issues twelve months ago. Their defensive forehand has not improved at all. In fact, you could make a strong argument it’s gotten worse for both of them.
The top two players in the world have the same holes in their game. The fix is above. Enjoy the process.
Craig