Coco Gauff makes gutsy coaching move right before start of U.S. Open

The tentacles of Hurricane Erin reached New York Wednesday, forcing the closure of beaches and the cancellation of the qualifying matches at the U.S. Open. It was eerily quiet at the USTA Center — the sky was gray, the courts were slick and most of the players were hanging in the player’s lounge or working on one of the few indoor practice courts.

Most of the players.

Coco Gauff, the most popular American tennis player, hadn’t been able to book a practice court. So, she and her newly hired coach, biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, braved the mist for close to an hour as they worked on trying to fix her serve.

Desperate? Determined? Or, a mix of both? In the wake of her sudden coaching shakeup, Gauff’s mindset has been the subject of much speculation as the U.S. Open begins here Sunday at Flushing Meadows.

Gauff, who had been a fan favorite since winning her first Grand Slam here as a teenager two years ago, addressed the speculation head on in her press conference Friday.

"I know where I want to see my game in the future," the 21-year-old said. "I'm not going to waste time playing the way I don't want to play."

Gauff’s bold decision, revealed just days before the start of the U.S. Open, is completely on brand as she has never been afraid to take the reins of her own career.

The No. 3 ranked player in the world is an incredible athlete, a mentally tough competitor and can serve in the 120-mph range. Gauff also has one of the most unreliable second serves in the game, something which she clearly thinks is keeping her from being the best player she can be. Gauff’s 320 double faults this season are not only the most in the WTA, they exceed the second closest total by more than 100.

The problems with her serve have led to two coaching shakeups in just over year. The first came after her title defense at the U.S. Open last summer was undone by 19 double-faults in a fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro.

“I don’t want to lose matches like this anymore,” Gauff declared shortly before replacing coach Brad Gilbert with Matthew Daley.

That coaching change initially seemed to work and Gauff won her second Grand Slam title, beating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set final at the French Open. She also reached the finals at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.

But then problems with the second serve reared their ugly head again. Gauff heads into the U.S. Open averaging 6.8 double faults per match with many of them coming in big bunches. She had 23 of them against Danielle Collins in Montreal earlier this month, but still won the match which says volumes about her overall talent as a player.

After serving up 16 double faults in a loss to Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals of Cincinnati two weeks ago, Gauff’s ranking dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 and she decided she had seen enough. Enter MacMillan, the coach widely credited with fixing Sabalenka’s serving motion in 2022.

Sabalenka, the reigning U.S. Open champion, said Friday it took about two weeks for her to see improvement working under MacMillan, adding that she was so desperate that she had even considered stepping away from the game.

“I tried literally everything, and nothing would help me to fix my serve. It was the last step before I would say, OK, bye-bye, tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I was so desperate, so I wasn't really doubting my decision. The moment we start working, I felt like, OK, there is something. I definitely have a better feeling on my serve. And I just trusted the process, trusted myself.”

The timing of Gauff’s decision has caused some raised eyebrows. ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe says it says a lot about what kind of competitor she is, adding that top players aren’t always so forthcoming in admitting their weaknesses.

“It’s a gutsy move,” McEnroe said. “The fact she’s so open about this . . . Clearly she believes that can be fixed. I believe it can. She’s such a great athlete that it should be more solid . . . If she can fix it, one would think with her other skills that she has, which are extraordinary, particularly mentally — she's one of the toughest players mentally — she should, could be winning one or two majors a year if her serve was more reliable and more consistent.”

Just now fast can MacMillan work his magic? Is it possible that fans could see changes in the U.S. Open? That’s hard to say, and Gauff’s situation is complicated by the fact she has a tricky draw.

To get to the finals and possibly play Sabalenka again, Gauff would first have to survive a fourth round where she could face No. 15 Daria Kasatkina, a rejuvenated Naomi Osaka, or Caroline Garcia. Gauff is 0-3 against Kasatkina, 3-2 against Osaka, and 2-3 against Garcia. She then could potentially face No. 6 Madison Keys in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semis.

Gauff made it clear at the U.S. Open media day that she is thinking long term. Perhaps the fact that she has already one a Grand Slam this year gives her the feeling she is playing with house money, that as much as she would love to win the U.S. Open again that she can’t go on playing with something that she knows is a problem.

“I can be, ‘OK, I’m doing fine and continuing playing the way that I’m playing.’ But I know where I want to see my game in the future. “For me, I just want to get better. I’m obsessed with the process of getting better. Sometimes, maybe it hurts because I get obsessed with it too much. … I have a clear future where I see myself and I feel like I’m really close.”

By Barbara Barker

barbara.barker@newsday.commeanbarb

Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.