Novak Djokovic leaves a mark on American tennis: Coco Gauff looks to him to solve serving problems; Frances Tiafoe hires his ex-coach after poor 2025

Coco Gauff recently spoke up about how she's looking at Novak Djokovic as an example to resolve persistent issues with her serve. Meanwhile, Gauff's compatriot, ATP star Frances Tiafoe, has roped in Todd Martin as his new coach. Martin notably coached the Serb from August 2009 to April 2010.

In a recent conversation with The National's Reem Abulleil, Gauff remembered how the Serb's serve was once nowhere near as reliable as it is today. The WTA No. 3 and two-time singles Major champion also briefly touched on the changes the former ATP No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam winner made to his serve, which resulted in the shot becoming one of his most potent on-court weapons.

"I was looking at Novak and he's someone who didn't have as great of a serve in the beginning of his career, obviously different issue than me, but he just wasn't serving as strong. And he made that change and has gone on to obviously be Novak Djokovic. And even at that time, he was still like a successful player," the 21-year-old said.

Earlier this year, Coco Gauff brought biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan into her team. MacMillan previously worked with reigning WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and played an instrumental role in fixing the Belarusian's struggles with her serve.

Meanwhile, Frances Tiafoe, who has cut short his 2025 tennis season after a series of underwhelming displays and results, has joined forces with Novak Djokovic's ex-coach Todd Martin. 16 years ago, Martin joined the Serb's camp as a second coach, working alongside Marian Vajda. However, Martin and Vajda's contrasting coaching styles led to the American coach's departure in April 2010.

Todd Martin accurately predicted Novak Djokovic's future in tennis in early 2023

Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Six Kings Slam (Source: Getty)

In March 2023, Todd Martin was asked by CLAY to share his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's future in tennis compared to that of the Serb's greatest rival Rafael Nadal. At the time, the American former player-turned-coach delivered a bold prediction that eventually turned out to be true. Martin said:

"Rafa moves in a heavy way, carrying a lot of weight with him, with much more force. Novak does not carry much weight physically. He is gentler on himself, so I don’t think there’s an element that will not allow him to continue further on, if he keeps his focus."

Nadal, struggling to maintain fitness, retired in 2024, while the Serb continues to gun for glory despite the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in contemporary men's tennis.