In a Dubai semifinal against Elina Svitolina, Coco Gauff’s frustration boiled into a rare on-court outburst. At 2-2, 15-all in the second set, a double fault prompted Gauff to stride toward her guest box and Gavin MacMillan, the biomechanics guru who joined her team last summer, and say, “I’ve been doing everything you’ve wanted for the last six months, and it’s gotten not better at all, bro.”

The moment underscored a persistent issue. For more than two years Gauff has led the WTA in double faults by a wide margin. Last summer she struck 23 double faults against Danielle Collins and 14 against Veronika Kudermetova on her way to the round of 16 in Montreal. In 2023 she hit 219 double faults and ranked 18th on the tour for that stat. In 2024 she leapt to 430, and she recorded 431 the following year.

Where the problem begins is debated. Is it a bio-mechanical flaw that can be adjusted, or a mental block commonly referred to as the yips? Brad Gilbert, who coached Gauff for 14 months ending in late 2024, offered perspective: “Coco, to me, is more resilient than a lot of those people,” and added, “Even with the serve issues, she still won the French. She still won two majors. She’s still finished in the Top 3 in the world. I feel like if you got the yips, this mental thing, your ranking is dropping, and fast.”

Analyst Rennae Stubbs sees a largely mechanical problem: “I think [her problem], it’s 90 percent mechanical and 10 percent mental,” she wrote. “The problem is that the 10 percent becomes 50 percent once the serve starts going off, because bad technique breaks down under pressure.

“There are so many mechanical issues with Coco’s serve that it’s really difficult to change at this point, but I do think it’s possible. I know Gavin is trying his best.”

Jimmy Arias recalled his own serving anxieties: “She should come talk to me,” he said. “I got the yips near the end of my career. I got so anxious serving that my right hip flew open too early, making it hard to hit a good second serve. I knew what the problem was, but I couldn’t stop it, even though I kept closing my serving stance more and more, until I looked like (John) McEnroe.”

Paul Annacone urged perspective and suggested a different focus: “No doubles, yet she was still annoyed at her serving,” he said. “What she said to MacMillan shows that she’s got baggage, she sees the serve as a big issue. But let’s be honest. How many majors has she won with, quote, unquote, a bad serve? Is it really bad? It’s not great, but so what?” He proposed “reprogramming her vision,” aiming for serving strategy over sheer power.

Experts differ on fixes, but all underscore that the problem is both technical and psychological. As Arias put it, “The most mystifying thing about all of this is how good Coco is in spite of everything.”

A group of players, coaches and tournament personnel remain unable to leave the United Arab Emirates after the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as regional airspace closures followed an outbreak of conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran.

According to MARCA, 41 people involved with the tournament are still unable to depart. Among those reported stuck in Dubai are champion Daniil Medvedev and runner-up Tallon Griekspoor, who did not play their final because of the Dutch player’s injury but both took part in the trophy ceremony. Also among those affected were doubles champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, runners-up Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, and semifinalist Andrey Rublev. Tournament officials, tennis journalists and the tournament stenographer were also reported to be unable to leave.

“No one knows when we will be able to take off,” Medvedev told Bolshe! on Sunday. “That is, it’s not clear whether (airspace closures) will last long or not. Therefore we are just waiting to see, let’s say, what will happen in the next hours and days.”

The ATP issued a statement on Monday addressing the situation: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event. They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament’s official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.

The tour remains ‘in direct communication’ with those affected, as well as with tournament organizers, security advisors and local officials.

“At this stage, travel arrangements remain subject to ongoing assessment in line with airline operations and official guidance. We will continue to provide appropriate support to ensure players and their teams can safely depart when conditions allow.

“We will continue to assess developments and provide updates as appropriate.”

Separately, Holger Rune and his mother, Aneke Rune, were reported stuck in Doha, where the Dane has been recovering from an Achilles tendon injury at Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital. “It’s been a wild night. We didn’t get much sleep,” Aneke told TV2 Sport. “It all seems more brutal at night with the fireballs in the sky and repeated bangs…” She added in an interview with BT: “We want to leave. But we have not yet received any news from Denmark. It’s a disappointing situation.”

The travel disruption has left some players at risk of missing the BNP Paribas Open, which starts on March 4. Medvedev and Rublev were withdrawn from the Eisenhower Cup, with replacement pairings announced for that mixed doubles exhibition.

Several evacuation options were discussed, including drives to Muscat or Riyadh, but players remained at their hotels following an emergency meeting. Heliovaara wrote: “The instructions from the ATP side have been very clear so far, the safest thing to do is to stay at the hotel and wait.” He added detailed concerns about border traffic and travel permits: “According to the information we received, there are bad traffic jams at the border (to Oman), and in addition to that, arranging suitable transport is difficult, because a car with UAE plates is not allowed to drive into Oman without a permit, and you cannot cross the border on foot…

“The journey to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia is over 10 hours and the road after the border is quite bad. So it’s not an ideal route without proper preparations.”

As of Monday, Dubai International Airport had resumed limited operations with a small number of flights departing. The airport, located adjacent to the tournament venue and near the Creekside Hotel in Jumeirah, suffered damage overnight but was reported to be back up and running.

Daniil Medvedev was declared champion at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after Tallon Griekspoor withdrew from the final with a left hamstring injury, handing Medvedev a walkover just hours before the United Arab Emirates shut its airspace.

The No. 3 seed and former Dubai champion received the trophy amid an unusual and tense championship Saturday. The walkover gave Medvedev his second ATP title of the year. “Not how I want to win a final,” he wrote. “Hoping the injury for (Tallon) is not too bad and wishing him a speedy recovery.”

Griekspoor hurt his left hamstring in Friday’s semifinal against Andrey Rublev but managed to win 7-5, 7-6 (6) despite the pain. He told those gathered at the trophy ceremony: “I went to the hospital this morning and had a couple of scans, which showed something serious,” and added, “It kept me from coming on court tonight and will keep me from the court in the coming weeks.”

For Medvedev, it was the first time in his career that he has repeated a title in the same city. Previously he had amassed 26 career titles at 26 different tournaments. “That’s what’s crazy!” he said. “I never did it in any city in the world, and the first time I do it, it’s with a walkover…”

He reflected on his week on court: “We knew before the start of the week, the way I was practicing, I couldn’t miss a ball. We knew it was going to be a great week. It was a great week and I’m looking forward to the next tournaments to come.”

The tournament was overshadowed by regional conflict that led to nearby strikes and retaliatory attacks, including a reported missile strike on the Palm Jumeirah Fairmont Hotel. Flight cancellations followed and departures from Dubai International Airport were suspended as a precaution. The tournament venue sits less than five minutes from the airport, a proximity that likely eased departures once travel resumed.

The men’s doubles final proceeded earlier, with No. 3 seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten defeating No. 2 seeds Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo 7-5, 7-5 on Center Court.