Coco Gauff cut a tearful figure last night, as she beat Donna Vekic in a highly emotional second-round match at the US Open.
It was a clash that had everything, but lacked quality throughout.
After all, the top-ranked American continues to suffer with issues with her serve and forehand, whilst her opponent was clearly dealing with an injury that was hampering her ability to cause trouble.
In the end, it made for an error-strewn affair, with Coco Gauff once again coming out on top.
The decision to completely uproot her coaching staff on the eve of the US Open drew widespread intrigue, with her justification being that she may as well start on the road to fixing her problems now rather than later.
And, asked about those changes, she gave a frank assessment of whether she is noticing any improvements, just after Gauff explained why she was so emotional during her win.
Coco Gauff says if Gavin MacMillan has already improved her serve
Speaking to the US Open press after gaining her place in the third round, Gauff did admit feeling some encouragement from the process.
She spoke positively, just hours after she had stopped her on-court interview to wipe away tears as she admitted that the pressure was getting to her.
The 21-year-old would go on to state: “I think the most encouragement is also, like, how I showed up in the second set with the serve. I think I won, like, a lot of points on first serve, and I don’t know how many doubles I had in the second, but it was a lot less than the first, that’s for sure.
“And, I don’t know, I think this this whole tournament, I think will stick for me the rest of my career, knowing that, you know, if I can get through, like, two tough matches, feeling how I’m feeling, I know I can get through pretty much anything, so I know, regardless, I hope I get more Grand Slam finals, and when those nerves come, I’ll recall on this feeling, and knowing that it probably can’t get much worse than this.
“So, yeah, I think for me, it’s a lot to be proud of, I feel like off the ground, in returning is something that I’m playing really well, and I think that used to be one of the weakest parts of my games a couple years ago.
“So there’s a lot of positives. Um, I’m just trying to make sure that I open my eyes and see that, too.”
Gauff hired Gavin MacMillan right before the US Open began, seeking to gain crucial counsel from the man famed for fixing Aryna Sabalenka’s serve.
Coco Gauff’s brave US Open move
To make the decision to change her settled coaching team right before the US Open was bold.
However, in the long run, it will afford her the kind of experience that likely nobody else on tour could possibly relate to.
After all, she is undeniably one of, if not the biggest star on the WTA tour.
The top-ranked American and a two-time Grand Slam champion, few would have begrudged her for continuing to persist with her spotty, error-strewn game, given the success it has brought in recent years.
Alas, in her pursuit of greatness, Gauff is striving for more.
Hiring MacMillan on the eve of the US Open was a crazy move, but one that will likely fast-track her development, thus speeding up her rise to achieving total dominance of the women’s tour.
