By Janina Nuno Rios
(Reuters) -After a triumphant French Open but inconsistent performances on grass and hard courts, Coco Gauff arrives at the U.S. Open hoping to rediscover her 2023 title-winning form, now under new guidance after splitting with her coach days before the event.
With Matthew Daly no longer in the picture, the 21-year-old will lean heavily on longtime mentor Jean-Christophe Faurel in New York, and is looking to address the issues with her serve with the addition of biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan.
That facet of Gauff’s game has been a glaring weakness, yielding a tour-high 320 double faults this season, including 42 across just three matches at this month’s Canadian Open.
The shake-up follows an inconsistent period during which Gauff has won just four single matches since winning Roland Garros in May.
A first-round exit at Wimbledon to Dayana Yastremska, and subsequent losses to Victoria Mboko and Jasmine Paolini in Canada and Cincinnati saw her slip from world number two to three.
The American has been candid about the sport’s highs and lows, and despite her recent struggles she was confident in her ability to turn things around.
“No one calls my season bad because I won Roland Garros, and for people, winning a Grand Slam more or less defines whether you’ve had a successful season or not,” Gauff told reporters after her Cincinnati quarter-final exit.
“Sometimes tennis fans want us to win like every week. But we’re playing 11 months. It’s not that easy.
“It’s completely normal for a player to have a good 3-4 weeks, then maybe a not-so-good 3-4 weeks just because of the way our season is built.”
Gauff now returns to the site of her breakthrough major victory in 2023, looking to add a third Grand Slam trophy to her cabinet.
With a strong mindset, elite athleticism and experience of playing for the biggest prizes in the sport, Gauff is widely seen as a future world number one and bold moves like reshaping her coaching team on the eve of a major could be exactly what propels her there.
“It’s very surprising that a top player would do that right before a major,” analyst Patrick McEnroe noted ahead of the tournament. “But one of the things you’ve got to love with Coco Gauff is she wants to get better.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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