In challenging times, coaching shifts often become part of the response. That was the case for quite a few pros chasing bigger results this year, including Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev, and even legends like Novak Djokovic. After early exits and winless streaks started to linger, they had to take matters into their own hands.

Some changes made perfect sense, while others came completely out of the blue. Let’s find out who decided to switch up the guiding voice in their entourage.

1. Coco Gauff brings on a biomechanics expert to her team

Gauff’s clay-court fire hit its peak at Roland Garros, where she claimed the 2025 French Open title. But her spark dimmed fast, losing in the first round at Wimbledon to Dayana Yastremska. By August, she split with coach Brad Gilbert’s assistant Matt Daly, who had joined in September 2024 and helped her capture the China Open and the WTA Finals that same year. In his place came biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, with Jean-Christophe Faurel staying on board.

MacMillan isn’t new to repair jobs. He once helped Aryna Sabalenka fix her serve and is now on a mission to do the same for Gauff. The American piled up over 430 double faults in 2025, her highest single-season total, and her serve became everyone’s talking point.

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“The first goal is obviously, in my mind, to get an effective kick serve that she 100% trusts,” MacMillan said on Tennis Channel in October. “Once we have that in place, we can start establishing… more effective first serves that not only have velocity but spin. It’s not just one thing to hit it hard. If you hit it hard and it bounces flat, it’s into everybody’s wheelhouse.”

Four months into their collaboration, progress is visible. Gauff defended her China Open crown in Beijing but fell short of repeating her WTA Finals success. Still, with the 2026 season ahead, perhaps she’ll unleash a new serve at the 2026 Australian Open? Only time will tell.

2. Daniil Medvedev parts with longtime coach for a fresh start

This year, the former World No.1 has struggled to find his rhythm, going winless since his 2023 Italian Open triumph. For Medvedev, 2025 brought early Slam exits and some US Open drama right from the first round. After months of frustration, Medvedev called time on his long partnership with Gilles Cervara. The two spent eight years together, during which Cervara guided him to the top ranking in 2022, the 2021 US Open crown, and the 2020 ATP Finals title.

“Thank you Gilles,” Daniil Medvedev wrote on Instagram. “Amazing 8-10 years together, 20 titles, world number 1, but most importantly a lot of fun moments and memories that will stay with us forever. I am grateful to you for guiding me through all these years, and let’s see what life brings us in the future.” It was a heartfelt goodbye to one of the tour’s longest-running player-coach duos.

In the meantime, Medvedev turned the page quickly. He brought in Rohan Goetzke and Thomas Johansson on a trial basis and already saw results, snapping his winless run with a title at the Almaty Open over Corentin Moutet.

Speaking to sports correspondent Alena Mayorova last month, he said, “The main work will be now, but in the interim, everything has gone great. We initially agreed that this would be a trial period until the end of the season. We’re all enjoying it, and we’re continuing to work. So next season will be more interesting: both they and I have higher expectations. We’ll see what comes of it.”

3. Novak Djokovic eyes the 25th Grand Slam with a new guide

As the new season looms, some players are shaking things up to find fresh energy and firepower. Novak Djokovic is doing just that. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has added a new face to his entourage, aiming to capture that elusive 25th major. On December 15, it was announced that Mark Kovacs, a respected sports performance expert, had joined Team Djokovic.

Kovacs brings serious credentials to the table. He’s a specialist in biomechanics, recovery, injury prevention, and on-court performance, with experience training more than two dozen ATP and WTA stars like John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Sam Querrey, and Coco Gauff. He has also assisted the US Fed Cup Team and guided several college programs that later produced Top 100 pros.

Earlier this year, Djokovic teamed up with his former rival Andy Murray, who retired during the 2024 Paris Olympics, hoping to chase new success. But the partnership didn’t quite click. Although he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, a hamstring injury in the quarterfinal forced him to withdraw.

Their split came in May 2025 before Roland Garros. Still, Novak Djokovic made it to the semis of every major that followed, only falling to the two men standing in his way of history: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Will this change help him take them down? Only time will tell!

4. Emma Ruduanu looks to a Spanish legend’s ex-coach

Emma Raducanu has had quite the coaching carousel this year, and it’s been anything but dull. She parted ways with Nick Cavaday in January after his health issues, gave Vladimír Plateník a short trial run in March, then teamed up with Mark Petchey through the grass season.

But the real shake-up came before the Cincinnati Open when Spanish coach Francisco Roig joined her camp. He became the eighth coach to work with the 2021 US Open champion since her main draw debut at Wimbledon in 2021. After a brief trial period, the 22-year-old Brit and the 57-year-old Catalan decided to work together till the end of the season, and despite a third-round exit in New York to Elena Rybakina, their start looked promising.

Roig brings serious know-how from Barcelona and a sharp eye for detail. A doubles specialist in his playing days, he reached World No. 60 in singles and later built a strong reputation as a coach. His most famous stint? Helping Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam winner who owns a jaw-dropping 14 French Open titles. With that kind of résumé, it’s no wonder Raducanu was buzzing with optimism.

Before Cincinnati, she told Sky Sports: “It’s going really well. It’s my second day with him here but I did a few days in London before I came out here. He’s obviously got a bank of experience and I’m very excited to continue working with him and to have him on my side.”

Her season ended a little earlier than expected after injuries caught up with her at the Ningbo Open, forcing her out of the Asian swing. But the break might just be what she needs. Raducanu will hit reset and open her 2026 campaign at the Australian Open, with Roig firmly in her corner and a fresh chapter waiting to be written.

5. Naomi Osaka splits with Serena Williams’ ex-coach

Last but not least, the four-time Grand Slam champion started 2025 strong by teaming up with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou, the mastermind behind Serena Williams’ ten major titles. She also added another sharp tennis mind to her corner, bringing in Iga Swiatek’s former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski of Poland. It looked like a dream team ready to fire things up.

But things didn’t quite click with Mouratoglou. Naomi Osaka couldn’t capture a single title outside of a small WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo. Her abdominal injury slowed her down, and her results never really got going. She fell in the first round at Roland Garros and couldn’t push past the third round at Wimbledon. By the Citi Open, her run with Mouratoglou quietly came to an end.

Then came a spark in Canada. At the Canadian Open, Osaka looked much sharper under Wiktorowski’s guidance and reached the tournament final. She lost to local teenage star Victoria Mboko but still celebrated her first WTA 1000 final since Miami 2022. The joy didn’t last long, though, as she stumbled early in Beijing and Wuhan during the Asian swing. Still, a quarterfinal showing at the Japan Open was a sign of progress.

Now the 2026 season is around the corner, and the storyline is wide open. Osaka knows there’s plenty more to rebuild, and fans are watching closely. Will she and the rest of this year’s coaching changers find the spark they’ve been chasing? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!