Coco Gauff talks coaching change before 2025 US Open

NEW YORK—There was something poetic about Coco Gauff’s practice in the rain earlier this week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The 2023 champion is in the midst of an impressive season, having lifted her second Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros back in June, but arrives to Flushing Meadows out of sorts after early exits at the Omium Banque Nationale and Cincinnati Open.

Gauff wouldn’t read that much into it.

“When I was in the rain, it was drizzling,” Gauff said with a laugh. “People made it seem like I was, on social media, like I was in a hurricane! It was literally drizzling. The courts weren't that wet.

“I have served in the rain a lot,” she added. “The decision was I wanted more reps, and the indoor courts were all booked and I couldn't get an indoor court.”

Perhaps more notable than the weather, then, was the presence of biomechanic coach Gavin MacMillan, who has taken the place of former coach Matt Daly on Gauff’s team.

“It was, like, a very sudden decision,” Gauff said to open her Media Day press conference. “Gavin became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game at least and I had to go with what I was feeling. Matt, I think Matt is a great coach and a great person and 100% love working with him. Yeah, I mean, we obviously had a very successful partnership, but I'm just looking at long term.

“I know Gavin has had experience with this before so, hoping I can just take on his knowledge and see what can happen.”

MacMillan came to prominence in 2022 when he helped Aryna Sabalenka solve similar serving woes to what Gauff has experienced on and off throughout her career. Within six months of hiring MacMillan, Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Yeah, I won French Open, made two finals back to back, quarters of Australia. I can be, "Okay, I'm doing fine and continuing playing the way that I'm playing." But I know where I want to see my game in the future. I'm not going to waste time playing the way I don't want to play. Coco Gauff

It’s that kind of long game the 21-year-old Gauff appears to be playing, shrugging off the timing of shaking up her team so close to a Grand Slam tournament.

“I mean, a tournament is a tournament,” said Gauff, who is the No. 3 seed at the US Open. “I hate losing regardless of where I am. If this was a 250, I would feel just as crazy to do it.

“Yeah, I felt this was a good opportunity. I don't have that many points to defend honestly in this part of the season. I'm one of those people, I'm looking at long term. I hope I can get it all together—I think I'll play either Monday or Tuesday—by then. If not, I have the rest of this year to work on it. But I do know I needed to make a change, technical change to it, and I don't want to waste time continuing doing the wrong things.”

Gauff occupies a unique space in the tennis landscape, a player who has already achieved much in her career—two major titles, a WTA Finals title, and a career-high ranking of No. 2—but also one with major areas of improvement, namely her serve and forehand. Where others could fall victim to complacency in the face of her tremendous heights, Gauff is eager to continue experimenting. Daly was initially brought on to work on Gauff’s serving grip, and MacMillian has spoken at length about not only working on Sabalenka’s serve but also her groundstrokes to make them less likely to break down under pressure.

“Yeah, I won French Open, made two finals back to back, quarters of Australia. I can be, ‘Okay, I'm doing fine and continuing playing the way that I'm playing.’ But I know where I want to see my game in the future. I'm not going to waste time playing the way I don't want to play.

“When I won US Open here, I have been very vocal, I wasn't really happy with how I played the whole tournament, and that was a great result for me,” she added.

“For me, I just want to get better. I'm obsessed with the process of getting better. Yeah, sometimes maybe it hurts because I get obsessed with it too much. I don't know. I feel like I have a clear future where I see myself and I feel like I'm really close. I think this aspect of the game will bring everything together for me.”

When not operating at that admirable intensity, Gauff continues to unplug with help from guilty pleasures like Love Island and anime.

“*Love Island* took up my whole summer, quite literally,” laughed Gauff, who will play her first round against Ajla Tomljanovic. “I'm trying to work up the courage to invite one or two of the cast members to a match. But I don't know. I don't have the courage.”

One day, a biomechanic expert. Maybe next week, Nicolandria.