Coco Gauff confirms the reason why her new coach is not with her for the China Open

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Coco Gauff will make her first appearance since the US Open this week, taking on the China Open in Beijing.

Gauff enters the WTA 1000 event on the back of a round of 16 exit in New York, where she lost to Naomi Osaka.

The American underwent major change in the build-up to the Grand Slam, with Gauff splitting with coach Brad Gilbert just before the tournament.

John Isner didn’t understand Gauff splitting with Gilbert, as she also brought in biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan.

He had previously helped Aryna Sabalenka with her serve, with Gauff bringing him on board amid clear struggles in that area, particularly with double faults.

Coco Gauff confirms why her new coach is not with her for the China Open

Gauff has now turned her focus to Beijing after the completion of her Grand Slam season, where she’s been asked how much she learned from MacMillan in New York, and whether or not he has joined her at the China Open.

She replied: “I’m still working with Gavin, but he’s not here because we started last minute so he had other plans for this part of the year.

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“We’ll be working with each other right when I get home from here. But it was a good learning experience.

“For me it was a tough challenge I think mentally more so than anything just, like, kind of losing trust in a lot of things, trying to find that in that tournament.

“But I really do think that it gives me confidence for the future. I mean, second week kind of having some really low moments on court.

“So I’m looking forward to now feeling refreshed and happy, feeling like I can trust myself all over again and see how I do with this mindset.”

Coco Gauff reveals what she’s been focusing on since the US Open

Gauff begins her Asian swing at the China Open, where she has plenty of reasons to be confident of a strong run.

The 10-time WTA winner clinched the title last time out, battling past Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-3 in the 2024 China Open final.

But a lot has changed for the American since then, with Gauff sharing insight into her preparations for the next stage of her season after another US Open run.

The two-time Grand Slam champion explained: “Yeah, I got to take a break. Then I’ve just been training in Florida.

“Yeah, I guess the focus is really just building for next year and treating this part of the swing kind of as a pre-season almost, which I did that last year.

“Ended up being successful, so we’ll see. Yeah, I think at this point of the year it’s always just looking at how to get better for next year.”

Gauff certainly did enjoy a strong end to the 2024 season, adding to her China Open success with the WTA Finals trophy.

The 21-year-old is currently third in the qualifying rankings for this year’s season-ending event, with her rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek having already secured their spots for Riyadh.