Coco Gauff recently ended her 14-month partnership with coach Brad Gilbert following a challenging period where she fell short of defending her US Open title.
Persistent issues with double-faults and an inconsistent serve have highlighted the need for a fresh approach in her training.
Coco Gauff has now brought in Matt Daly, known as a grip specialist, to address these technical challenges and stabilize her serve.
The change has already shown promise, with Gauff winning the Beijing title shortly after Daly joined her team.
At the WTA Finals, she showcased her progress with a commanding straight-sets victory over fellow American Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 6-2.
Pam Shriver admits feeling ‘impressed’ by Matt Daly
Gauff’s decision to part ways with Brad Gilbert has already sparked curiosity about her new coaching direction.
Seeking fresh insight, she brought on Daly, a coach known more for his technical expertise than for a high profile.
Daly, while not widely recognized, has been influential with other players, including Canada’s Denis Shapovalov.
His arrival seems to have made an immediate impact on Gauff’s game, aligning with her recent success in Asia.
Pam Shriver ran into Daly in China, admitting she came away feeling very surprised: “One of the people I met down in Wuhan was Matt Daly, her new coach. I had heard about him before, maybe when he was with Shapovalov but he’s certainly not well known.
“I was really impressed in my conversation with him. There’s another example of a new voice and she immediately went on a nice run.”
Gauff sailed into the semi-finals in Wuhan, ultimately coming undone by her serve – she struck 21 double-faults – and Aryna Sabalenka’s resilience.
- READ MORE: Coco Gauff confirms serving change she’s made under her new coach ahead of the WTA Finals
What were Coco Gauff’s serving statistics against Jessica Pegula?
In the match, Gauff served a total of 82 first serves, achieving a success rate of 68% with 56 of those serves landing in.
She recorded two aces and also committed two double faults – a far lower count than her most recent match where she hit 21.
While Gauff only won 39% of her first serve points, securing 22 out of 56, Pegula’s was broadly similar, winning just 29% on her first serve.
For the second serve, Gauff was also more successful than Pegula, winning 50% of the points with 13 out of 26. While not glittering statistics, Gauff is clearly and actively working on serve consistency and seeking to remove the catastrophic errors that have proven so costly.
The American next faces reigning champion Iga Swiatek, who managed to hit 10 aces in her opening comeback win – something Swiatek admitted she’s also been working on.
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