Coco Gauff shakes up coaching staff ahead of US Open, fires Matt Daly and replaces him with former Aryna Sabalenka coach
Coco Gauff has fired a member of her coaching staff, Matt Daly, days ahead of the start of the US Open.
She’s replaced him with Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist who’s credited with having helped Aryna Sabalenka fix her serve and rise to the No. 1 ranking in the world, The Athletic reports.
Daly confirmed his dismissal on Wednesday to tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg.
“Only have good things to say about Coco, enjoyed working with her,” Gauff told Rothenberg.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
Gauff hired Daly, a grip specialist, to work on her serve and forehand after she fired then-coach Brad Gilbert following a disappointing fourth-round exit at the 2024 US Open on the heels of her victory at the tournament in 2023. Daly worked with Gauff as she won the French Open this summer, claiming her second career Grand Slam tournament victory.
But Gauff has struggled since that win. She followed up her French Open victory with a stunning first-round loss at Wimbledon. She recently lost in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open, the final hardcourt warmup ahead of the US Open.
Per Rothenberg and The Athletic, MacMillan and Gauff’s longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel were both working with Gauff on Wednesday at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in New York.
A member of Gauff’s team confirmed the coaching transactions to The Athletic. Gauff had not addressed the shakeup as of early Wednesday.
Gauff enters the US Open as the No. 3-ranked player in the world behind No. 1 Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Świątek, who was victorious at the Cincinnati Open. Singles play at the US Open is scheduled to start Sunday. The US Open draw will be announced Thursday.
