"Coco Gauff arrived in New York with more questions than answers after reshuffling her coaching team on the eve of the year's final grand slam. Her second major at Roland Garros in June had given way to a summer-long revolt of her serve, often marked by spates of double faults and premature exits, including a first-round departure from Wimbledon. She has framed the change as a long-term fix rather than a quick repair, saying she did not want to waste time playing a way I don't want to play."
"To address her serving woes, Gauff has enlisted Gavin MacMillan, the biomechanics specialist who helped Aryna Sabalenka rein in her serving yips and climb to the world No 1 ranking with three major titles. The first two rounds showed the transition was bumpy for the No 3 seed: a three-set struggle against Ajla Tomljanovic, then tears on court in a fraught win over Donna Vekic. It's been an emotional week, Gauff said. I think I needed those tough moments to be able to move forward. I was putting so much pressure on myself. This time there was no unraveling."
"Under bright sunshine rather than the Ashe floodlights before a robust Labor Day weekend crowd, Gauff struck just four double faults, built a 3-0 lead and, when Frech briefly levelled at 3-all, responded with assurance. Serving at 40-30 in a tense seventh game, she steadied with a 105mph delivery that drew an error, clenched her fist and surged through the rest of the set. The second set was more straightforward. A bruising 20-shot exchange went Gauff's way to earn the first break, while another break at love followed two games later."
Coco Gauff reshuffled her coaching team on the eve of the US Open after a season of serving problems and early exits. She hired biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan to address recurring serve yips and to implement a long-term change in technique. Early rounds were turbulent, featuring a three-set match and emotional moments, but Gauff steadied under daylight conditions against Magdalena Frech, committing just four double faults and producing a 105mph serve at a key moment. The victory, 6-3, 6-1, showed clearer serving rhythm, effective groundstroke exchanges, and signs that the technical transition is beginning to take hold.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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