The US Open brought out a different Coco Gauff this year. There were days when her athleticism took over and she looked almost impossible to beat. In some matches, her forehand and serve made things much harder. Her quarterfinal against Mirra Andreeva showed both versions of Gauff. As a result, Hall of Fame coach Rick Macci wants critics to look past the aesthetics of her tennis. 

“Many people chirp that Coco and her game is ugly. Trust me they are looking at the wrong movie. This is not a beauty contest or a ballroom dancing. Tennis at the highest level is WHAT IS UNDER THE HOOD,” Macci posted on X. He added that while some players can make the sport “flowing and glowing like the great FED,” Gauff “checks so many athletic boxes inside and out and always ready for a 15 round bout.”

Macci’s defense came when Gauff had just produced another comeback that depended as much on her skills to stay alive as it did on clean ball-striking. She lost the opening set 6-2, saved two match points in the second-set tiebreak and eventually completed a 2-6, 7-6(9-7), 6-2 victory.

Andreeva had found a clear target early as she repeatedly attacked Gauff’s forehand, and the American struggled to find her rhythm. Gauff finished the match with 42 unforced errors and 12 double faults; now those numbers cannot be considered a flawless performance and this was precisely where critics attacked. But the match changed once Gauff’s court coverage started making Andreeva play another ball.

That is the part of Gauff’s game Macci is talking about when he describes her as being built for a 15-round bout. She can chase down shots that look like winners, reset points and even turn defense into offense with her speed. 

The opponent still has to finish the point, and against Gauff, that can become a tiring assignment. But again, that’s what is “under the hood,” and her will, along with her coaches, play a solid role. 

Coco Gauff’s Coaching Changes Are a Weapon Itself

Gauff currently has Jean-Christophe Faurel and biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan in her corner. MacMillan has been particularly focused on her serve and the mechanics behind it, an area that caused Gauff plenty of trouble during the 2025 season.

The move came in August, when Gauff split with Matt Daly. That might have seemed like an odd time to make a change because she had won the French Open only a few months earlier, but her serve was starting to cause issues.

Gauff double-faulted 23 times against Danielle Collins in Montreal, then had another 14 against Veronika Kudermetova. A few weeks later, 16 more double faults and a quarterfinal loss to Jasmine Paolini in Cincinnati.

So Gauff turned to MacMillan, who had already dealt with a similar problem. He had worked with Aryna Sabalenka on her serve in 2022. 

And Gauff had seen the value of a new voice before. From her experience when Brad Gilbert joined her team in 2023, just before that memorable summer run. Gauff won in Washington and Cincinnati, then went all the way at the US Open.

Then came Daly, and their partnership started after the 2024 US Open, and Gauff immediately found another gear, winning the China Open and the WTA Finals. 

Macci, though, is looking at a different part of the equation. Having previously worked with world No. 1s such as Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati, he knows what elite tennis looks like, and that’s what he reinforced in Gauff’s game. 

Now Gauff’s resilience has taken her back to the US Open semifinals for the first time since her 2023 title run. Waiting there is Elena Rybakina, who secured her place in the last four by beating Zheng Qinwen and will become the new world No. 1 after reaching the semifinal.

Gauff may not always win in the prettiest way. But with another Grand Slam semifinal in New York, Macci’s point is getting clearer: whatever is happening under the hood is still taking her a long way.