Coco Gauff has been in superb form since her major coaching change, having swapped Brad Gilbert for Matt Daly.
Gauff split with Gilbert in September, and went on to enjoy immediate success with Daly as she won the China Open.
She then reached the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open, with the American losing to eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff now turns her focus to the WTA Finals, where she has been drawn in the Orange Group alongside Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Barbora Krejcikova.
Her serve has particularly come under the spotlight in recent times, with Gauff hitting a 2024 WTA record 21 double faults in that loss to Sabalenka. Coco Gauff confirms serving change she’s made
Rick Macci believes Gauff’s second serve problem is a quick fix, with the former having coached the likes of Serena Williams and Andy Roddick.
And speaking in her WTA Finals opening press conference, the player herself has noted a change to that area of her game.
Having been told that Pegula talked about a slight change to her grip on her serve, Gauff was asked about any changes she has made and how hard it is to do that during a season.
“Yeah, no, I have made change with that,” she said. “Yeah, obviously it’s difficult. You do something you know one way for your whole life basically. Actually, I wouldn’t say my whole life. I definitely think I migrated as time went on.
“But it was for a long time. You kind of have to correct it, and you’re playing matches. Everything just feels fresh and new. It is difficult, but you got to think of the long-term and the long run.
“I feel like this is the right decision. When it was going well, it was going really well. Yeah, I think I just need more time with it. I spent two weeks at home working on it. Yeah, we’ll see how it goes here.”
Can Coco Gauff shine under Matt Daly at the WTA Finals?
There is, of course, much more to tennis than a strong serving game, although it does seem that Gauff can reach a whole new level if she can perfect that issue.
But she has made huge strides in a short space of time under Daly, having clearly felt a change was needed in the coaching department.
The American won the 2023 US Open under Gilbert, but has struggled for consistency since then, particularly at Grand Slams.
But a strong end to the 2024 season is now on the cards in Riyadh, with her event beginning with a match against compatriot Pegula.
Gauff is ranked third in the world as the competition gets underway in Sauid Arabia, with Sabalenka number one after her recent overtaking of Swiatek.
