On the hunt for her second US Open title, Coco Gauff has made a rather bold decision on the eve of this final Grand Slam of the year.
Earlier in the season, the American impressed in Paris, as she stormed to the Roland Garros title.
It marked a glimpse into just how good Coco Gauff could be if she could only find consistency that lasted more than just a few matches.
Since then, her form has taken a rather dramatic dip, as she suffered early exits in Berlin, Wimbledon and Montreal.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
At the very root of those shock defeats were her serving woes and persisting unforced errors, the likes of which we have seldom seen from such a top player.
Something had to change, but few expected Gauff to completely change her entire coaching setup on the eve of the US Open.
Rick Macci says that Coco Gauff hiring Gavin MacMillan is not a gamble
For many, it is not the decision itself that has drawn scrutiny, but rather the timing of it.
After all, to make such a bold choice at such an important time in the tennis calendar, as the top-ranked American returns to New York, surprised many.
Nobody saw this coming, and many are taking time to acclimatise to the news.
However, for Rick Macci, the former coach of both Serena and Venus Williams, this move was a no-brainer.
He argues that there is no gamble involved in the switch, given that her ‘serve already being blown up by herself by non science based information’.
Asked is this a Big Gamble for Coco to Blow things up before the Open. No. Serve already being Blown up by herself by non science based information that did not change the muscle memory or location. Dad and daughter knew this was mandatory career changing decision they had to…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) August 23, 2025
View Tweet
In an effort to rectify the biggest and most obvious problem within Gauff’s game, Macci suggests that both the 21-year-old and her dad ‘knew this was mandatory career changing decision they had to make’.
It will be really interesting to see whether the timing pays off at the US Open.
How has Coco Gauff performed since the French Open?
Gauff does not head into the US Open this year in good form, which likely provoked the speed of this change.
After all, in her eyes, she likely has nothing to lose.
MatchRoundOpponentResultScoreBerlin OpenSecond RoundWang XinyuLoss3-6, 3-6WimbledonFirst RoundDayana YastremskaLoss6-7, 1-6Canadian OpenSecond RoundDanielle CollinsWin7-5, 4-6, 7-6Canadian OpenThird RoundVeronika KudermetovaWin4-6, 7-5, 6-2Canadian OpenFourth RoundVictoria MbokoLoss1-6, 4-6Cincinnati OpenSecond RoundWang XinyuWin6-3, 6-2Cincinnati OpenFourth RoundLucia BronzettiWin6-2, 6-4Cincinnati OpenQuarter-finalJasmine PaoliniLoss6-2, 4-6, 3-6Coco Gauff’s results since winning Roland Garros
Back in 2023, when Gauff won her maiden Grand Slam title in New York, she was coming off the back of a huge triumph in Cincinnati. She maintained that form throughout the draw to win the very first major of her career.
This time, her preparation has not been nearly as good, failing to enjoy deep runs in either the Canadian Open or Cincinnati after early exits in Berlin and Wimbledon.
Gauff has explained why she hired Gavin MacMillan when she did, but it will take something huge to turn her form around and turn her into a true title contender once again.