I’d like to know, because I have the same exact issue as gauff.
I'm guessing that most here are unwilling to pay the cost of extensive tennis instruction. Another problem with tennis instruction: choosing an instructor who can raise a player's game. In my experience, very few instructors know how to bring a player to greater improvement.
Nevertheless, repeated practice with strict guidance is necessary to achievement. And for those at a play-rating of 4.0 and lower, it's highly unlikely to find a player willing to practice and who is able to deliver consistent playable shots in practice.
My solution: buy a ball machine, and with it, you must be your own stern instructor, on positioning of a more closed stance, on unwavering concentration on the ball, and moving your weight forward while hitting the ball out in front.
Set the ball-machine speed setting to under 40 m.p.h. without much spin and set the height setting to land the ball just beyond the service line. And then set your backswing to high, then in a clock-like motion, go from high to low and finish at your non-hitting shoulder (but everyone has its own style).
Listen closely. Concentrate hard on the ball, swing smoothly and firmly, and hit the ball where it will clear the net and land in play. Work exclusively on cross-court forehands. And don't become complacent while in the practice and remain your own stern instructor. You'll learn what you did right in hitting a solid shot and what you did wrong in a misfiring.
But that's just practice, not the same as match play.
In match play, players tend to fall back on developed habits, especially after missing shots off their own practice. play. In other words, in match play, you're preparing to hit the ball from your previous habit.
Here's what I'm saying. I don't want a player consistently failing in trying to execute a newly learned shot. However, when a player falls back to the established habit, the player should ask: Could I have prepared both mentally and physically to hit the ball the way I hit it in practice?
Repeated failure in match play will destroy confidence and composure. And opening up too quickly also shows low confidence on a shot making. Regardless, hold to stern concentration on the ball and hit the ball in front. Here's a law: either you're attacking the ball or the ball is attacking you.
In ball-machine practice, you won't learn by a higher speed setting rushing you. The same goes for the feed setting.
If you need further explanation or explicit detail, just ask.
On Gauff's recent play, Gauff on her forehand was trying to swing harder, yet she was still opening up and pulling away from the ball, and many times she ended up with her weight back on her heels. She repeatedly failed, then her reliable backhand and serve also began to fail. Confidence and composure (always joined together) vanished.
Relying only on practice without match play won't improve your match play, Remember the question you ask yourself in match play.
One more thought on my own improvement. On my one-handed backhand, I had relied too much on a slice return. I practiced a lot on a low top-spin, flat backhand shot, my natural swing. But in the practice, I didn't ignore my reliable slice. I also worked on hitting a more low-driving slice, which became a penetrating weapon and so did the flatter backhand. Since I have an attacking nature then come to the net, the driving slice served me well.
