“Honestly, it’s really tough—mentally exhausting. But I’m trying. It wasn’t my best today, but it counted when it mattered,” said 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, reflecting on her intense training under Gavin MacMillan. Gauff made headlines after parting ways with Matt Daly just days before the U.S. Open, again bringing in MacMillan to fix her serve. But despite that, her serve remains shaky. After a dominant first round, she nearly broke down against Donna Vekić in the second. Yet, Gauff continues her winning streak, facing every hurdle with grit and grace. And standing by her side through it all? None other than Simone Biles.

The all-time-great gymnast is back from her vacation in Australia, and the first place she visited was none other than the U.S. Open. While speaking with ESPN, Biles explained that the sole reason she came to the U.S. Open was because of Coco Gauff. After hearing this answer, the ESPN host asked, “She’s had to show a lot of mental strength over the last week. She made a coaching change. She’s actively trying to change her serve in the biggest tournament of the calendar year. For someone like you who has competed in individual competition at the highest level for so many years, what kind of mental strength does that take when you have to rely on yourself and no one else on the court or floor?

Biles thought for less than a second before responding. “No, definitely. As she gets older and matures, and now she’s an adult, she gets to make these types of decisions that are best for her career. So I’m supportive 100% because I know what that’s like. To see her take ownership of her career, of the court, and all of that is just amazing to watch.”

So, what exactly happened in the courts that nearly forced Simone Biles to make such statements? Well, Coco Gauff has been struggling with her serves recently, which is why she hired MacMillen, the man responsible for fixing Aryna Sabalenka’s serve, to help her. But was it a mistake to bring in a physically demanding coach just ahead of the U.S. Open? It might have been.

After her first-round win over Croatian-Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, despite racking up 59 unforced errors, she stepped into the next challenge against Donna Vekic. The tension was understandable, especially when Vekic broke her serve at 4-4. It was such a dramatic moment that renowned tennis journalist José Morgado took to X, writing, “Gauff crying as she drops serve at 4-4.” And yes, she was in tears, head buried in a towel, sobbing, as coach MacMillen looked on in disappointment. But the meltdown didn’t last long. Regaining her composure, she clawed back, forced a tiebreak, and edged it 7-5.

The mid-game breakdown turned out to be a blessing for her, as after returning from the washroom, she came back with renewed motivation, countering all of Vekic’s shots. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, Gauff certainly gained valuable experience. Just like Simone Biles, who believed in her, Coco Gauff also revealed that it was Biles who gave her motivation during these tough times. How, let’s find out.

Coco Gauff drew inspiration from Simone Biles when it mattered the most

The second round was a tough pill to swallow for Gauff. Despite the victory, it was evident that exhaustion was catching up to her. At the post-match presser, Gauff thanked Simone Biles for her presence at the court, stating that merely seeing her gave her enough confidence to overcome this challenge. Talking to the people, she stated, “Honestly, I saw her, and honestly, I don’t know if she[Simone Biles] is up there, but she helped me pull it out.” 

She further added, “I was just thinking, like, if she can, you know, go on a six-inch and do that with all the pressure of the world, then I can hit the ball in this 75—I don’t know how big this court is. So, I saw her late in the second, getting interviewed by ESPN, and yeah, it brought me a little bit of calm just knowing her story, with all of the things she went through mentally. So, she is an inspiration, surely, and, you know, her presence definitely helped me today.”

After her confession, the camera panned to Simone Biles, who either screamed, “I love you!” or “You are awesome!” We couldn’t catch exactly what she said, but the feeling was exactly the same. With her victory, she now moves on to the third round against Magdalena Fręch. Will she be able to pull off another magical performance on the court?