Why this match matters
On November 2, 2025 in Riyadh, Jessica Pegula beat defending champion Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 in WTA Finals group play. As reported in the Reuters match report from Riyadh, Gauff committed 17 double faults, and Pegula organized her return patterns to make every second serve feel smaller and riskier. The turning point was not power or speed. It was control under pressure.
If you coach juniors or parent a competitive player, the match was a clinic in momentum management. Pegula had lost to Gauff three weeks earlier in the Wuhan final, but in Riyadh she refused to chase winners. She stepped forward, camped on likely second-serve lanes, and made the rally start on her terms. That is exactly what your players can learn to do when an opponent’s serve wobbles, and exactly what they must learn to prevent when their own serve tightens. For broader context on why return depth matters in this event, see our take on second-serve aggression and return depth, and how indoor tactics and nerves tilt these matches.
What a double fault spiral looks like
A spiral starts with a single miss that gets assigned the wrong meaning. The brain ties the last error to the next attempt. The server reacts by guiding the ball instead of striking through it, adds a little more spin without a clear target, or shortens the toss without noticing. The first serve becomes cautious, the second serve becomes tentative, and the routine between points shrinks. Soon the opponent is standing inside the baseline on second serves and the server feels chased.
Mechanically, three things usually show up together:
- Toss drifts behind the head or too far left for a right-hander, which forces the racquet path to wrap instead of drive.
- Arm speed slows to protect the ball, which kills spin and safety.
- Eyes fixate on the service box instead of a small spot above the net, so depth control vanishes.
Psychologically, the server tries to fix five things at once. That fragments attention. You need one cue, one breath pattern, one plan.
Four resets you can use immediately
1) Pre-serve breathing cadence that calms without sedating
Breathing has to be simple and repeatable. Try this cadence for every serve, first and second, regardless of score:
- Inhale through the nose for a 4 count while you square the stance.
- Hold for a relaxed 2 count as you visualize arc over the tape.
- Exhale through pursed lips for a 6 count as you bounce the ball and release the shoulder tension.
This 4-2-6 rhythm activates parasympathetic brakes without making you sluggish. Pair it with a soft jaw and a focus on the bottom of the strings. This is not a one-off rescue. It is the default before every delivery so there is no tell when you feel stress.
Coaching cue: count quietly at the same pace you will use in tiebreakers. Consistency matters more than the exact numbers.
2) Single-cue focus to prevent mechanical clutter
Pick a single cue for the day and use it for the entire match. Examples:
- “Toss to one o’clock” for a right-hander aiming slice in the deuce court.
- “Up and through” to drive racquet speed, especially on kick.
- “Hit the bottom of the ball” to promote upward path.
Why one cue? Under pressure, working memory can hold only a few items. One concise cue guards against technical overthinking. If the cue stops working, switch at a changeover, not mid-game.
3) Target simplification on second serves
Complexity kills confidence. On second serves, simplify to three default targets and a clear depth zone:
- Body, deuce court: jam the returner’s hips.
- Backhand, ad court: high kick that pulls them wide.
- Body, ad court: into the chest to take away swing speed.
Use a net strap window that sits a racquet head above the tape. The goal is arc first, direction second. If the toss or feel is off, choose body as the safest option. Pegula punished predictable adds that drifted short; the lesson is to reclaim depth before you chase edges.
4) Between-point routine that resets attention
You cannot outthink nerves; you must out-routine them. Adopt a consistent four-part routine between every point. The United States Tennis Association calls this a green routine and a yellow routine depending on pressure. Their framework is a clean blueprint worth adopting at any level. Read the USTA green and yellow routines.
A practical version you can steal today:
- Respond: turn away from the net for two steps, touch strings, neutral body language.
- Recover: one long exhale, let the shoulders drop.
- Refocus: look to your target area, say your one tactical intention, then your single cue.
- Ready: get to the line, bounce, breath, go.
How Pegula exploited Gauff’s spiral
Pegula did three simple things that any well-coached returner can copy against a shaky serve:
- She moved her average return position a step inside on second serves and took the ball early. This reduces the server’s recovery time and creates the sense that the box is shrinking.
- She targeted deep middle as a first response. That neutralizes pace and avoids gifting angles, which is critical against Gauff’s athletic defense.
- She varied the next ball. When Gauff steered forehands crosscourt, Pegula redirected line to stretch the court and force the extra shot.
None of this required highlight shots. It required belief in a plan and discipline in execution. In Wuhan, Gauff owned first strike off the serve and forehand. In Riyadh, Pegula removed free points and fed the server’s doubt. The result fits the pattern of many junior matches where one player stops trusting the toss and the other quietly cashes the momentum.
Three court-tested drills to bulletproof the serve under stress
These drills are designed for high school and academy settings. They build tolerance for pressure while reinforcing the four resets above. For more examples of serve under pressure, compare to the Alcaraz serve blueprint under pressure.
Drill 1: The Radar Ladder
Purpose: stabilize toss and racquet speed under simple pressure.
Setup: server on deuce court. Coach or teammate stands behind baseline with a phone timer. Use cones to mark a two-racquet-wide lane above the net strap.
Rules:
- Player serves 10 first serves aiming slice wide, then 10 second serves to the body. Every ball must clear the cone window.
- Scoring is on a ladder. First serves are worth 1 point if in and through the window, 0 if out. Second serves are worth 2 points if in and through the window, 0 if out. Miss the window on a second serve and you lose your previous point.
- Target score: 22 out of 30 by the second week. In matches, keep the window image in your eyes as part of the pre-serve breath.
Coaching cues: if the toss drifts, freeze and start again. Do not hit a bad toss. Use your single cue and 4-2-6 cadence every time.
Drill 2: The Boxed Second Serve to Body
Purpose: build a default second serve that holds up when you feel tight.
Setup: place a rectangle of four cones centered on the receiver’s body location in both service boxes. The rectangle should be one step wide and two steps deep.
Rules:
- Serve three sets of 12 balls, alternating deuce and ad. You score only on balls that land in the rectangle and bounce above hip height.
- If you hit two double faults in a row during a set, you must do a 60-second reset before continuing. That means stepping back, breathing, walking to the towel, saying the single cue aloud, then resuming.
- Target score: 18 of 36 by week one, 24 of 36 by week four.
Coaching cues: visualize the rectangle during your refocus step, then strike up and through. Accept some misses long. Long is good feedback that you kept speed.
Drill 3: Pegula Pressure Game for Returners
Purpose: train returners to squeeze a shaky server without overhitting.
Setup: point play starting 0-0. Returner starts one step inside baseline on second serves, neutral on first serves.
Rules:
- If the returner pins the ball deep middle on a second serve and wins the point within three shots, they get 2 points. Any return error loses 2 points.
- Server earns 1 bonus point for a body serve that earns a neutral rally ball. This encourages safe second-serve targets under stress.
- First to 10 wins. Switch roles and repeat.
Coaching cues: returner breathes and commits to spacing, not speed. Server calls the target aloud during the routine to anchor intention.
The 60-second reset checklist for servers
This is the on-court script to stop a spiral. Time it in practice until it feels automatic.
- Seconds 0-5: Turn away from the net. Strings, chin level, one exhale.
- Seconds 5-15: Walk to your towel or baseline mark. Inhale for 4, hold 2, exhale for 6. Shoulders drop.
- Seconds 15-25: Name your intention. Example: Body serve, ad side. One cue: Up and through.
- Seconds 25-35: Visualize the ball clearing the strap window and landing in your rectangle. See arc, not box.
- Seconds 35-45: Step to the line. Bounce the ball to the rhythm of your exhale.
- Seconds 45-55: Look at a tiny spot over the net. Keep your chin level. One quiet exhale.
- Seconds 55-60: Go. Trust racquet speed.
Print this and keep it in the tennis bag. Run it after any two-serve sequence that feels sticky.
A coach’s map for the next two weeks
Here is a simple microcycle for a junior player or college squad to turn the ideas into habits.
- Day 1: Serve diagnostic. Film 30 first serves and 30 second serves from behind and side. Note toss location, height over net, landing clusters. Choose one cue for the week and write it on your wrist tape.
- Day 2: Radar Ladder plus footwork conditioning. Two sets. Finish with five minutes of body serves only. Final five minutes are changeover routines at match pace.
- Day 3: Return pressure game with teammates. Returners live inside the baseline on second serves, servers aim body. Coach tracks first ball depth. Stop twice for 60-second reset rehearsals.
- Day 4: Off day or light mobility and visualization. Repeat the 4-2-6 breath while imagining your serve on both sides.
- Day 5: Boxed Second Serve session. Three sets of 12 per box, then a tiebreak to 7 with the body serve as mandatory on every second serve.
- Day 6: Practice set with a constraint. If you double fault twice in a game, you must take a time out at the next changeover to run the full 60-second reset.
- Day 7: Match play. Keep a simple chart of second-serve targets and outcomes. Do not judge during the match. Debrief after.
Common traps to avoid
- Hunting for a brand new second serve during a match. Adjust toss and target, not the entire motion.
- Using three cues on the same point. If you add one, remove one.
- Aiming for lines with the second serve when tight. Body targets buy time to rebuild feel.
- Skipping the routine when you feel rushed. The routine is the fix. If you skip it, you teach your brain that panic equals speed.
Teaching this to young players
Young athletes copy the intensity of the adults around them. If you are a coach or parent, model the routine. During practice sets, say the single cue back to the player. Keep a small whiteboard courtside that lists the day’s cue and the second-serve default target. Celebrate process metrics such as percentage over the strap window and number of complete routines rather than only the final score.
Bringing it all together with OffCourt
Off-court training is the most underused lever in tennis. OffCourt unlocks it with personalized physical and mental programs built from how you actually play. If your player sprays second serves late in sets, OffCourt can turn match charting and video into targeted plans that pair breath cadence, single-cue selection, and second-serve target ladders with specific fitness blocks. The goal is not a bigger serve in isolation. The goal is a serve that holds up when confidence wobbles.
Final takeaway
Gauff’s loss to Pegula was a momentum puzzle solved with position, depth, and discipline. The solution for servers is equally straightforward. Breathe to a consistent cadence, commit to one cue, shrink your second-serve targets to safe and specific zones, and guard your between-point routine like it is part of your stroke. Build those habits with the drills above, and practice the 60-second reset until it feels boring. Then it will feel reliable. Next step: run today’s practice with one change. Before any serve, say the target out loud and count the 4-2-6 breath. Do it for an hour. Film it. Review it. Then carry that habit into your next match.