Coco Gauff Earns Support From Legendary Andy Roddick Despite Massive US Open Concerns

The strongest will prevail, and Coco Gauff embodies that perfectly! The American arrived at the US Open with grit and a new coach by her side. Despite a season shadowed by criticism over her serve and a lack of titles, aside from the French Open win, she remained determined. Since Paris, the 21-year-old struggled to get past early rounds, which took a toll on her. That pressure spilled over at Arthur Ashe Stadium last night against Donna Vekic.

During her round two match, Gauff was seen crying through a tough first set, then fought back tears again during an emotional post-match interview on the court. Though she won 7-6(5), 6-2, she thanked the fans for their unwavering support. The next day, she stressed the importance of reminding fans that athletes are human, especially amid “the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.” It was heartbreaking to witness. Even Andy Roddick couldn’t stay silent about the moment.

On his ‘Served’ podcast, in a clip shared on Instagram, the former World No.1 expressed empathy for Gauff. “You can see the stress flowing out of Coco, and it’s been amazing to see how she’s dealt with the yips for like a year and a half. She won the French Open this year! If you get asked about something all the time and everything is reported, yeah, at some point, it becomes something you think about. She’s able to compartmentalize her serve and the rest of her game in an amazingly admirable way. It’s unbelievable what she’s accomplished.”

And it’s true. While Gauff hasn’t bagged more titles this season, her resilience has shone brilliantly. After her quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open, she steadily upped her game—reaching back-to-back finals at Madrid and Rome, before capturing a major title at Roland Garros, becoming the first American woman to do so since Serena Williams.

Her impressive run has secured her a spot at World No. 3, boasting a 35-12 win-loss record this year. Despite the emotional weight during her round two match, she still won in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-2—enough to impress Roddick.

As he added, “She’s three in the world. She won tonight! She broke down on a switch-over, hands shaking, had to take a bathroom break to kind of compose herself, and then was able to find a little bit of rhythm in the second set. She won tonight!”

While her serve remains an issue, the American is actively working to fix it. After parting ways with Matt Daly, with whom she had partnered last year, she brought in Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics expert. What does she say about the changes?

Coco Gauff speaks up about coaching change ahead of US Open

The news came as a surprise to the tennis community when she parted ways with Matt Daly just days before the US Open. The ex-coach had guided her to her first-ever French Open title, but the serve issues lingered. Insiders like Rennae Stubbs repeatedly mentioned that the serve needed work in her podcast, and looks like Coco heard the call. Enter MacMillan, a biomechanics wiz who famously fixed Aryna Sabalenka’s serve. The change was instant. Fans saw the upgrade as Gauff cruised past Ajla Tomljanovic in the US Open opener. This was a bigger win considering she faced a first round exit at Wimbledon a month ago.

It’s clear Coco Gauff cranked up her training intensity over the past could of days. After her win, a reporter asked about the tough new routine. Gauff didn’t hold back, pulling back the curtain on working with MacMillan—where mental and physical exhaustion are part of the deal.

She said, “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.”

And it seems to be working. Next up is Magdalena Frech in the round of 32. Will Coco Gauff spark another deep run like three years ago? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and keep up with every US Open moment on our Live Blog!