Coco Gauff recently split with coach Brad Gilbert, which was a surprising decision because it was under him that she played some of the best tennis she ever played.
The American hoped to keep that going this year, but it didn't quite work out, especially during the US Open, where she couldn't meet the expectations. It all culminated in a disappointing showing against Emma Navarro.
That match against Navarro signaled that she was going the wrong way, and it became apparent that certain things would have to change. Most people didn't assume that she would change the coach, but that was the decision that she made.
Speculation arose as to who might follow Gilbert in that role, but the American player found a new coach very quickly, and it's Matt Daly. Her first event under Daly has been very successful so far.
She's through to the China Open final, where she'll face Karolina Muchova, a player she bested in a final already. Asked about the coaching change, Gauff explained her thought process in that decision.
"Yeah, honestly I think it just depends at what point in your career you're at, what you're looking for. Obviously right now I'm very young, so I'm looking just for someone to help me develop in the long-term process, try to help make my game as complete as I can be."
"Yeah, for me, I mean, with the relationship, adding Matt to the team, we literally just started like two weeks ago, so really only had a week to work with training-wise, then we had to come to China and the tournament."
Gauff has massively struggled with her serve at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing, and it's one of those parts of her game that she planned to work on. Speaking about her team, she confirmed that they're currently tackling several issues in her game, which might have contributed to her struggles.
Even so, her tremendous talent carried her to the final, and she won't be without chances against Muchova. The coaching change has worked well results-wise, and the 2023 US Open winner is quite happy with what has been going on behind the scenes as well.
"We're working on a lot of developmental things. He's great. Obviously I still have JC on the team. For me, it was trying to find the mix of two people that work together well. So far, I mean, it's obviously working result-wise."
"Just even behind the scenes and everything you guys don't see, I think it's great. I'm happy with my decision regardless if I lost first round or in a final this week. So yeah, I'm happy to have him on the team. I feel like he's already making significant progress. Him and JC are working well."
Speaking about her result in Beijing, the American player admitted that while she didn't expect to reach the final, she was quite happy about tennis that she played, at times.
"I think the same mindset. I mean, I'm happy to be in the final. Like I said, I wasn't expecting it. Has this week been like my best tennis? In moments, yeah. I think today I reached some levels where I was playing my best tennis. Obviously that's not the case for the whole match. That's tennis, that's life."
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