Coco Gauff wasted no time in finding a new coach after parting ways with Brad Gilbert. Just a week later, the 2023 US Open champion has brought on Matt Daly as her new coach, making their debut collaboration at the China Open in Beijing.
At just 20 years old, Gauff has already established herself as a top player in tennis, reaching a ranking of No. 2 in the world. Yet, she understands the importance of continual growth and adaptation to remain at the pinnacle of the sport. Seeking to enhance her game further after parting ways with Gilbert, Gauff looked to add a new coach to her team.
Enter 45-year-old Matt Daly, a coach with ATP Tour experience, most recently working with Canadian star Denis Shapovalov. Daly, who played collegiate tennis at the University of Notre Dame, joined forces with Gauff a week prior to her trip to Beijing.
Speaking with WTA Insider at the China Open, Gauff shared her enthusiasm for the new partnership and suggested a long-term collaboration is in the cards:
“I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I’m super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game. Working with Brad was really great and obviously we had a great partnership. I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year.”
The primary focus of Gauff’s initial work with Daly will be on improving her serve, which has been a recent weakness in her game. Gauff’s US Open title defense earlier this month ended with a fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro, during which she made 19 double faults.
“There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve,” Gauff explained. “When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that’s the basis for my game.”
Seeded fourth in Beijing, Gauff received a first-round bye and is set to face Clara Burel in her opening match on Friday. This won’t be the first meeting between the two—Gauff narrowly defeated the French player in a tough three-set match at Indian Wells earlier this year, with a scoreline of 2-6 6-3 7-6(4). Despite not being in peak form recently, Gauff enters the match as the heavy favorite, though she won’t take Burel lightly.
