“I think it was just time to do a reset,” that’s how Coco Gauff explained her recent split with Brad Gilbert. While discussions about the unexpected separation were still going on, the former US Open champion dropped another update about adding a new member to her team. The world No. 6 was also quick to mention how excited she was with new hopes. While Gauff is oozing positivity right now, renowned tennis bigwig Prakash Amritraj has put the whole situation into perspective.

Coco Gauff recently made a significant move in her career by reshuffling her coaching team just weeks after her US Open exit. The 20-year-old brought in Matt Daly as a new voice in the camp, while she has continued to work with long-time coach Jean-Christophe (“JC”) Faurel. As she prepares for her upcoming matches, Gauff seems energized by this fresh start.

Former tennis pro and analyst Prakash Amritraj highlighted the importance of this switch at the Tennis Channel Live Podcast (Release: 27th September). He pointed out that Gauff’s excitement right now could be just because the partnership is newly formed. “When you have something new you’re always excited about it, so you have that trailing into all of your actions,” Amritraj said, noting that the communication between coach and player will be key, as Gauff moves forward with her new team.

This statement came in response to Coco Gauff’s recent conversation with WTA Insider about the new arrangement in her coaching set-up. “I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I’m super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game,” she said.

Gauff admitted that her time with Gilbert was valuable, but she felt the need for a change to further develop her skills. “Working with Brad was really great and obviously we had a great partnership. I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year,” the 20-year-old explained.

Gauff will put this new partnership to test at the WTA 1000 China Open where she is matched against Clara Burel in the opening round. She is the fourth seed at the tournament and her goal is to secure her spot at the WTA Finals. As the event is already up and running, it is yet to be witnessed if the key change in her team turns out to be productive.

Coco Gauff highlights the areas of play where she wants to focus now

Coco Gauff is currently focused on honing her skills as she prepares for the China Open. After adding Matt Daly to her coaching team, Gauff is eager to target some specific areas of her game. “There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve,” Gauff shared with WTA Insider. Gauff’s decision to prioritize improving her serve came after her struggles in recent events where serving inconsistencies led to multiple double faults and eventually defeats.

During her fourth-round exit at the US Open, Gauff hit 19 double faults and that was when she realized a need for change. Gauff has not progressed beyond the last 16 in her last five tournaments which makes her situation even more concerning. She previously reached three consecutive semi-finals at the Italian Open, French Open, and Berlin Open.

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Gauff believes that her serve holds the key to approach more consistent performances. “When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that’s the basis for my game,” she explained.

The former US Open champion feels optimistic about her work with Daly and is already seeing improvements. She shared that even with the limited time they’ve had together, there has already been progress. “Already, the little bit we’ve done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago,” she said.

Gauff is now looking to put these improvements to the test with the China Open ahead of her. As she moves ahead, only time will tell if the coaching moves were relevant.