Coco Gauff is a major name in tennis, with a fan base that stretches well beyond the United States.
She’s already picked up two Grand Slam singles titles by the age of 21, and most people expect that number to grow over the next several years.
And, even though she did win one of those events this year, there have been questions over her ability to keep performing at the highest level, given some weaknesses in her game that have become more apparent.
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Speaking to Tennis365 about Gauff’s struggles ahead of Wimbledon, Mouratoglou said: “I’ve known Coco since she was ten. I saw her play at our academy for many years and we’ve always had a great relationship.”
“She has an incredible mental strength. This is really what makes her so special. She’s always been like this.”
Concerns raised over Coco Gauff’s form before the US Open
With Gauff splitting from her coaching staff just before the tournament, it’s understandable why there might be more doubts about her chances to go deep in this year’s draw.
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast, Matt Roberts said: “And I do think the New York factor here is interesting because I think as a kind of reflex, I’m going, ‘Well, that’s going to help Gauff.’ You know, she’s won this title. The crowd’s going to be behind her, she’s gonna bring it. She’s probably going to play a lot of night sessions. All of that kind of thing.
“I generally stack that in her favour here. And actually, I do think there’s a scenario, and I think we probably saw it last year, where it can go the other way.”
“Where you’re not confident with your game and actually this sort of increased pressure can be a lot, and we saw the double faults a lot last year didn’t we in that match against Emma Navarro? And she never really played her best tennis here last year.
“And so I think that could go either way and I know that’s probably not groundbreaking analysis it’s not helpful.”
“I don’t know what the answer is there but I think you will probably get a lot of people saying oh its Gauff in New York is gonna help her yeah and I think last year we saw the opposite potentially.”
“Like if you’re not confident in your game and everyone has come there to see you like it’s a lot.”
The draw will obviously play an important role as well with David Law saying: “She could be vulnerable in early rounds too. It’s on the draw.”
Gauff brings in Macmillan, Sabalenka’s former biomechanics coach
As mentioned earlier, Gauff’s decision to part ways with her coach just before the US Open has surprised many.
But what adds an extra layer to this is her choice to bring in Gavin Macmillan, the biomechanics coach credited with resolving Aryna Sabalenka’s serving issues two years ago.
Since then, Sabalenka has gone on to dominate the women’s game and is seen as a favourite at almost every tournament she enters.
Gauff has clearly taken note of that rise and now wants to make similar changes in her own game.
It’s not something that will happen overnight, and the timing—just before a major—raises questions. But it seems she wasn’t willing to wait any longer to address what many see as the biggest flaw in her game.
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