A potent serve can be a powerful weapon in tennis, but U.S. Open champion Gauff has struggled with her delivery in the clay swing, averaging almost 10 double faults in the five matches that she played on the slower surface ahead of Rome.

Gauff sent down 11 more in Monday's 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win over Paula Badosa, but the American said after making the quarter-finals that she was already seeing some improvements ahead of the French Open which starts on May 26.

"I'm going big on the first serve, so I know I'm probably going to miss more. It's just finding the balance of going big but also knowing when to slow down just to get the serve in," Gauff, the 2022 Roland Garros runner-up, told reporters.

"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 (mph) serve by not going for it."

World number two Aryna Sabalenka famously struggled with her serve over the last few years before a stint with a biomechanics trainer turned her weakness into a weapon, which she deployed to great effect en route to winning two Australian Opens titles.

Gauff, who is coached by Brad Gilbert and Jean-Christophe Faurel, said she was also trying to make technical tweaks.

"It's tough to do in-season and in-tournament," she said.

"I feel from the night before my last match to now, it's better. It's only been two days. I'm trying."