Ahead of the US Open, two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff has split with coach Matt Daly. While no official replacement has been named at this time, Gauff was notably seen working with with Gavin MacMillan, the biomechanics expert behind Aryna Sabalenka‘s new-and-improved serve, on Wednesday.
Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg reported the news on Wednesday, just days before Gauff begins her quest to win a second title at Flushing Meadows.
Rothenberg quoted Daly as saying that the decision was made, quote “recently,” however, despite the move, he had nothing but good things to say about his time working with the 2023 US Open champ.
“Only have good things to say about Coco, enjoyed working with her.”
Despite Gauff sitting as world No. 2 up until Iga Swiatek’s win in Cincinnati on Monday, the American star has struggled in singles since her Roland Garros win over Aryna Sabalenka in early June. At Wimbledon, she suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Dayana Yastremska, before then failing to make the deep runs in Montreal and Cincinnati.
As Gauff looks to improve on a 2024 US Open run that saw her reach the Round of 16, it’ll be interesting to see if MacMillan’s impact is immediately apparent.
Darren Cahill Weighs In on Coco Gauff’s Coaching Change
On the heels of the move, famed coach Darren Cahill, who currently coaches Jannik Sinner alongside Simone Vagnozzi, shared his thoughts on ESPN‘s US Open broadcast.
As he explained, MacMillan could be the exact sort of change that Gauff needs to take her game to the next level:
“A lot of things add up and this could be a really good relationship. He’s very thorough ….I’ve spoken to him many, many times before and the fact that he’s got experience with different athletes from different sports, both male and female, he uses the new technology, he goes to the video a lot, really breaks down the biomechanics.”
It’s that kind of attention to detail that helped MacMillan revamp world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka‘s serve back in 2022.
Taking a Closer Look at Gavin MacMillan’s Work With Aryna Sabalenka
While this season saw Coco Gauff win her first French Open title, as of late, the world No. 2 has struggled with her serve.
Despite Matt Daly being a grip expert, who made an immediate impact on Gauff’s game at the China Open last year, MacMillan’s approach could be exactly what Gauff needs to take the next step in what has already been an impressive career.
Back in 2022, as Aryna Sabalenka struggled to control the overwhelming number of double faults she was hitting, MacMillan argued that her struggles weren’t mental, as many had suggested, but rather, mechanical.
He recalled the meeting with Sabalenka in an interview with Talking Tennis:
“It was the phone call when I talked to her (Sabalenka) and said: ‘I understand this has got to be a really difficult time, but the thing I can promise you is that this isn’t mental, and if anybody is telling you that, just get up and walk away, and I can prove it. Your motion is so technically flawed- like I don’t know how you’re getting them in at all.’”
After beginning to work with MacMillan, Sabalenka took her game to the next level, ending 2022 as the runner-up at the WTA Finals before then reaching a career high of No. 1 in the world the following year.
Whether Coco Gauff can make a similar jump, only time will tell.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Coco Gauff Splits With Coach Ahead of US Open appeared first on Heavy Sports.