Is Coco Gauff Ready to Dominate 2026? Serena’s Ex-Coach Certainly Thinks So

Let’s be honest for a second: the tennis world loves a good hype train. We build players up to god-tier status before they can even legally rent a car, and then act surprised when they stumble. But Gauff? She’s built different. After snagging her second Major at the French Open in 2025, she proved the doubters wrong (again). Now, as we stare down the barrel of the 2026 season, the expectations aren’t just high—they are stratospheric.

And who is fueling the fire? None other than Patrick Mouratoglou, the man who spent years in Serena Williams’ box. If anyone knows what a dominant champion looks like, it’s him. But his predictions for Gauff are bold, bordering on “video game cheat code” levels of optimism.

Mouratoglou’s Vision: Multiple Slams Per Year?

According to Mouratoglou, 2026 shouldn’t just be a “good” year for Gauff; it needs to be the year she flips the switch from “star” to “legend.” He took to social media recently to drop his wishlist for the upcoming season, and it’s pretty straightforward: he wants hardware.

“What I would love to see in 2026 is Coco Gauff winning another Grand Slam,” Mouratoglou stated. “She can start to win two, three per year. That’s always been a goal for her to really win a lot of Grand Slams.”

Two or three a year? In this economy? With Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek still existing? It sounds wild, but Mouratoglou has a point. Gauff is still incredibly young. The scary part isn’t what she’s done; it’s what she hasn’t unlocked yet. Mouratoglou admits there are holes in her game—we all see the forehand wobble when the pressure mounts—but he believes if she patches those bugs, she’s looking at a multi-Slam season. He wants her fighting for that No. 1 spot, not just happy to be in the top three.

Andy Roddick Loves the “Ugly” Wins

While Mouratoglou is looking at the ceiling, former American ace Andy Roddick is looking at the floor—specifically, how stable Gauff is when everything else is falling apart.

Roddick recently sounded off on The Served podcast, and honestly, his take is the kind of realism we need. He doesn’t care if Gauff plays pretty tennis. He loves that she wins when she plays bad tennis.

“If the losses are ugly, I don’t care,” Roddick said, defending her style. “She is the best in the world at being uncomfortable on a given day and getting a win.”

This is the stuff that drives casual fans crazy but makes purists nod in respect. We’ve all seen matches where Gauff racks up 20 double faults. It’s stressful. It makes you want to throw your remote through the TV. But then? She wins. She relies on her legs, her athleticism, and her sheer refusal to lose. Roddick calls it a “superpower,” and he’s right. To play messy, chaotic tennis and still camp out at World No. 2 or No. 3? That’s mental fortitude that you can’t teach.

The Secret Weapon: That Backhand

Roddick also pointed out something that often gets lost in the discourse about Gauff’s shaky forehand: her backhand is an absolute weapon of mass destruction. He argues it’s one of the “biggest and hardest” on the tour, yet it barely gets the credit it deserves because everyone is too busy analyzing her serve mechanics.

She uses that backhand to create stress, turning defense into offense in a split second. It’s her reliable DPS spell in a rotation that sometimes glitches out. If she can keep leveraging that strength while Mouratoglou’s predicted improvements kick in, the rest of the tour is in serious trouble.

The 2026 Roadmap

So, where does this leave us? Gauff is already Down Under, prepping for the United Cup as part of Team USA (where she’s the defending champ, naturally). She hits the court against Argentina’s Solana Sierra on January 3rd.

But the real test is the Australian Open. She made the quarters in 2025 and the semis in 2024. The progression implies a final is due, right? She’s likely going to be the third seed, meaning a boss battle against Sabalenka or Swiatek in the semis is almost guaranteed.

If Mouratoglou is right, 2026 is the year Gauff stops knocking on the door and just kicks it down. If Roddick is right, it might not look pretty, but she’ll be the last one standing anyway. Either way, get your popcorn ready.