"I bet on myself to go big" - Coco Gauff doubles down on her big-serving approach to tennis despite current shortcomings

Coco Gauff recently dived deep into her serving performance during her three-set victory over Paula Badosa in the fourth round of the Italian Open on Monday (May 13). Although the American knows her serve can be technically limited, she still intends to go all-in on it in her matches this year.

Gauff was not at her best against Badosa at the Foro Italico, dropping the first set 5-7. However, the 20-year-old showed immense resilience to win the next two sets for the loss of just five games, going through 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to the Round-of-16 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome.

Coco Gauff turned in a mixed performance on her first serve, though; while she hit only 38% of first serves in, she did win 76.8% of every point where her first delivery landed inside the lines. Moreover, she also hit 11 double faults throughout the match.

Speaking to the media about her service woes, the third seed admitted that she was better off hitting her first serve with less pace on some points. However, she said in the same breath that her conviction in her first serve would remain unshaken despite her recent struggles.

"I'm going big on the first serve, so I know I'm probably going to miss more," Coco Gauff said during her press conference. "I think it's just finding the balance of going big but also knowing when to slow down the pace just to get the serve in."

"Honestly, I mean, I bet on myself to continue to go big. I know when I go big and my serve goes in, it's dangerous. Even though this tournament I want to win, I'm trying to think long-term. I don't want to lose the 120 serve by not going for it."

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Coco Gauff on facing Zheng Qinwen for the 1st time on WTA Tour - "Should be a fun matchup"

Coco Gauff hits a forehand in Rome

Coco Gauff will next face seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen for a place in the semifinals of the Italian Open. While the two players haven't met on the WTA Tour, they did face off in the 2018 Orange Bowl final — where the American triumphed in three sets.

When asked about her thoughts on their Italian Open match, Gauff said the contrast in their playing styles should make for a "fun match-up".

"Yeah, that was the last time I played her. I don't remember much. I remember being down a break in the third set and coming back. I think I won 6-4 or something like that," Coco Gauff said during her press conference. "Yeah, that's all I remember. I mean, obviously we're both different players. We've both done a lot since then. It should be a fun matchup for the next round.