Who knew the 2025 US Open second round could get this emotional? Coco Gauff is trying her best to fix her broken serve. She even hired Gavin MacMillan, a famed biomechanics expert, to help her out. But in the second round of the 2025 US Open, in the match against Donna Vekic, things got pretty messy for Gauff. They seemed enough to force some tears out of her eyes. 

It happened in the first set itself, when Donna Vekic broke her serve at 4-4. The famed tennis journalist and commentator, Jose Morgado, took to X and wrote, “Gauff crying as she drops serve at 4-4…” The 2023 US Open champion had her face buried in her towel as she sobbed. The look of disappointment on MacMillan’s face was palpable as well. Needless to say, Gauff desperately needed to rise up. And she did so by catching up to her opponent with a tiebreak. And ultimately, she won the tiebreak with a score of 7-5.

Coco Gauff became the highlight of the women’s singles at the 2025 US Open when she fired Matt Daly and brought Gavin MacMillan into her team just days before the final Grand Slam of the year commenced. Her crosshairs were set to eliminate her broken serve. And things did seem better in her last match against the Croatian-Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. But she did make 59 unforced errors in the match. Yet, she managed to secure a win. 

And this time, it seemed like the mid-game breakdown gave her some superpowers. Gauff told the referee that she’s going to the bathroom. And she came out with renewed energy. Coco Gauff pushed through the battle with Vekic and won in two straight sets. The scoreboard read 7-6, 6-2. No doubt, she knows how to handle herself, don’t you agree?

MacMillan is the guy who’s responsible for curing Aryna Sabalenka of her bad serve. And that’s the sole reason why Gauff hired him. But it seems like the tiresome training regime is starting to get to her. 

Coco Gauff gets honest about her training troubles

Following her win over Tomljanovic in the first round of the 2025 US Open, Gauff revealed that training with MacMillan exacted a heavy toll. In the on-court interview, 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.” 

So, how does the #3 WTA star’s training regimen look like? Talking to the media in the post-match press conference, Coco Gauff revealed, “When I said that, I was referring more to the practice week, not the match. I mean, the match was, it is what it was. I’m so used to these long battles. But yeah, the practice week, it was tough, because I was spending a lot of time on court, literally serving until like, my shoulder was hurting. Yeah, it’s just tough.” In the entire match, Coco Gauff had her serve broken six times. Even with the intense training backing her up, she made 59 unforced errors and 10 double faults. 

And now, the curse is seemingly back. But what do you think of Gauff’s reaction after getting broken at 4-4 in the first set? As you proceed to the comments section, don’t forget to take a look at the EssentiallySports Live Blog for fresh beats from Flushing Meadows.