Coco Gauff raised the entire tennis community’s eyebrows when she fired Matt Daly mere days before the US Open. Under Daly’s tutelage, she got her first-ever French Open win. But even the triumph couldn’t fix her serve. So, in his stead, Gauff brought in Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics expert who had previously fixed Aryna Sabalenka’s broken serve. The difference was instant. The fanbase took notice of the improvements in Gauff’s serve as she defeated Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round of the US Open. But behind the scenes?

It’s not a secret that Gauff spent the last 5-6 days training at enhanced intensity. And following her win during the post-match interview, the reporter asked her how she felt about her recent training regime. Coco Gauff didn’t mince words. She peeled back the curtain to offer a glimpse of what it is like to work with someone like Gavin MacMillan. Such training routines were often paired with exhaustion, both physical and mental. 

The #3 WTA contender confessed, “Honestly, really tough. Honestly [it’s] mentally exhausting. But I’m trying. I mean, it wasn’t the best today, but… it came in when it mattered. But you know, it’s an improvement from last week (in Cincinnati). And I think, you know, I’m just trying to improve with each match.” 

Despite the intense training, Coco Gauff made 59 unforced errors and 10 double faults. And her serve? It was broken on six instances. Meanwhile, Tomljanovic made 56 unforced errors and broke her serve eight times. But in the end, it was Gauff who secured the win by returning the second serve and playing from the baseline.

But the first round win became a reality for Coco Gauff because of one thing. She knew her shortcomings and was ready to work on them. Yes, even if her journey against bad serves began just a few days before the tournament. 

Coco Gauff acknowledges her faulty serve and aims to treat it

During the press conference prior to the US Open, Gauff affirmed that she wanted to play as a better version of herself. She said, “When I won [the 2023] US Open here, I’ve been very vocal. I wasn’t very happy with how I played the whole tournament. And that was a great result for me. But for me, I just wanna get better. I’m obsessed with the process of getting better. And yeah, sometimes maybe it hurts because I get obsessed with it too much. But, I don’t know. I just feel like I can have like a clear future where I can see myself. And I feel like I’m really close. And I think this aspect of the game will bring everything together for me.” 

She was pretty hellbent on fixing her serve. And she wasn’t going to wait for a hypothetical right time to begin, even if it meant swapping team members within the close vicinity of a major tournament. Coco Gauff continued, “I mean, a tournament is a tournament. Like, I hate losing regardless of where I am. This was a 250. I would just feel just as crazy to do it. And yeah, I felt like this is a good opportunity because I mean, I don’t that many points to defend honestly in this part of the season.”

Well, Gauff has certainly improved. Her last match at the Cincinnati Open ended with her making 16 double faults, which is still more than the 10 she made today. But can this number go further down in her upcoming match against Donna Vekic in the second round of the US Open? And if you want more details of any on-court drama, head to our EssentiallySports Live Blog.