‘We are so again’: Can a laser-focused Coco Gauff win the Australian Open?

Coco Gauff wiped the sweat off her forehead as she bowed her head and walked to the web.

She had simply misplaced within the fourth spherical of the US Open in entrance of a capability crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium to fellow American Emma Navarro in three units. Her eagerly anticipated title protection was formally over, as was her 2024 main season.

Her disappointment was clear with each step she took off the courtroom.

“Mentally I gave it, and emotionally, I gave it my all,” Gauff later advised reporters, earlier than faulting her serving woes for the ultimate outcome.

The 20-year-old Gauff had recorded 19 double faults within the match, and her serve had been a continuing battle all through the event. In her information convention, she vowed to repair it and mentioned she would take into account working with a mechanics coach and getting different opinions.

“[It’s] form of a psychological hurdle that I’ve to recover from,” Gauff mentioned. “But, yeah, I positively need to have a look at different issues as a result of I do not need to lose matches like this anymore.”

And since that devastating September day in New York, Gauff has lived as much as her promise. Not solely has she improved her serve, she hasn’t misplaced a lot both. The 2025 season — which technically started over the past week of December — has gotten off to a powerful begin, and Gauff already seems to be a very official contender for the 12 months’s first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

“We are so again,” Gauff wrote on Instagram following her first match on the United Cup. “New szn, higher me.”

What can we count on from Gauff within the new 12 months, and what has modified since final season? Let’s break it down earlier than the “Happy Slam” gets underway in Melbourne on Sunday (or Saturday at 7 p.m. ET for these stateside).

OK wait, first, what did Gauff do in 2024?

Few entered the 2024 season with as many expectations as Gauff. Coming off her first main title on the 2023 US Open and having gained three different tournaments on the season, Gauff opened final 12 months ranked at No. 3 and confirmed few indicators of slowing down. She kicked off 2024 together with her second consecutive title at Auckland following a dominant run within the event and spectacular three-set win over Elina Svitolina within the closing. She then had her best-ever exhibiting on the Australian Open by reaching the semifinals.

Though she did attain the semifinals at Indian Wells in March, the following few months on the exhausting courtroom proved difficult for Gauff. But she turned issues round on clay with semifinal appearances on the Italian Open in May after which later that month on the French Open. She additionally gained her first main doubles title at Roland Garros alongside Katerina Siniakova.

But at Wimbledon — the positioning of her breakthrough in 2019 — she fell to Navarro within the fourth spherical. Back on clay weeks later for the Olympics in Paris, Gauff was given the glory of being one in every of Team USA’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony, alongside LeBron James, however she was unable to win a medal — one thing she had referred to as a purpose all 12 months — regardless of enjoying in all three attracts. Gauff then gained only one match on the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, the latter of which she was the defending champion, throughout her preparations for the US Open. She later admitted each occasions had been considerably “mentally draining” following the Olympics however insisted she was “excited” and “able to go” as soon as she acquired to New York. But it was to not be.

Following the round-of-16 exit on the US Open and falling to a season-low No. 6 within the rankings, Gauff returned to play later that month for the 1000-level China Open. And every thing appeared to click on for Gauff in Beijing, as she battled via a star-studded area and gained the title with a rousing 6-1, 6-3 victory over Karolina Muchova within the closing. She reached the semifinals the next week on the Wuhan Open and ended the season with the trophy on the WTA Finals. Gauff did not drop a match within the group stage on the year-end occasion and recorded wins over Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, the top-two ranked gamers on the planet, all through her run.

“lol protected to say I beat the dangerous season allegations,” she wrote on X after the trophy ceremony.

Gauff earned a $4.8 million paycheck for the title and ended 2024 again at No. 3 and because the 12 months’s highest-paid feminine athlete on the planet, according to Forbes.

Did she make any adjustments after the US Open and forward of the 2025 season?

Yes. She most definitely did.

After the irritating outcome on the US Open, Gauff parted methods together with her head coach, Brad Gilbert. The two had been working collectively because the begin of the hard-court summer time season in 2023, and he had been by her aspect for her maiden Slam title. But regardless of their promising begin collectively, few had been stunned by the transfer after her tough summer time stretch in 2024.

Gauff even expressed her frustration at occasions with Gilbert, most notably throughout a heated trade through the loss towards Navarro at Wimbledon through which she yelled, “Tell me one thing, you guys aren’t saying something,” to her field through the match.

“I believe we had a sport plan moving into,” Gauff later advised reporters. “I felt that it wasn’t working. I do not all the time ask for recommendation on the field. Today was a type of uncommon moments the place I felt I did not have options. I do not need to say I did not have any as a result of I believe I’m a succesful participant of developing with some [but] I believe at the moment mentally there was rather a lot happening. I felt like I wished extra route from the field.”

After dismissing Gilbert, Gauff then employed Matt Daly, the previous coach of Denis Shapovalov, to work at the side of her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel. Gauff took a number of weeks off from competitors for a coaching block forward of the China Open — her first since earlier than the clay season started within the spring — to implement adjustments and refocus. In an interview quickly after she introduced Daly on, Gauff told WTA Insider, she was “actually excited” for a contemporary begin.

“I believe it was simply time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some issues in my sport that I felt like I have to do to have a greater season subsequent 12 months,” Gauff mentioned.

Daly is taken into account a grip specialist, and per a put up on GripMD, an organization through which he co-founded, he works most particularly on grip adjustments. Gauff confirmed the 2 had been engaged on that when speaking to reporters in Wuhan. “I do not need to give an excessive amount of of what is going on on, however there are adjustments taking place,” she mentioned.

Many across the sport took discover of a few of these changes. Former world No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick, who additionally had labored with Gilbert throughout his profession, discussed Gauff’s improvements on his “Served” podcast in November.

“One factor I’ve observed is that the serve seems manner higher, and I do know she double-faulted in Wuhan, however the grip is healthier,” Roddick mentioned. “It is extra straight on and what I’m seeing is that you’re not getting the double faults the place one is 3 ft under the web line and the following one is 5 ft lengthy. The variance in misses is manner much less.

“…. She’s made a bit of little bit of a grip change on her serve; I believe it seems manner higher. I believe because the 12 months progressed, she form of began turning the crank time and again and over a bit of bit extra and possibly acquired herself right into a little bit of a foul behavior. So credit score for Daly for realizing that and switching it. [Her] forehand seems like she’s getting the racket again and ready a bit of bit extra typically so she does not need to do as a lot work late within the swing and play catch up.”

Gauff has additionally praised Daly for his assist with “tactical stuff [and the] psychological aspect, too.”

Daly declined an interview request for this piece in December, saying he most popular to remain within the background and let Gauff converse for herself and select to share what they had been engaged on. But he added she was “very mature for her age” and had been a “pleasure to work with to date.”

How has she regarded to date this season?

Gauff kicked off her 2025 season on Dec. 29 — sure, in 2024 as a result of, properly, tennis — and made a press release with a 6-3, 6-2 win on the United Cup over 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez. Just hours later she was again on courtroom alongside Taylor Fritz to tackle Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime in a combined doubles match. Once once more, Gauff was victorious because the American duo defeated the Canadians 7-6(2), 7-5. Fritz later thanked Gauff for “carrying the staff” after her efficiency in each singles and doubles.

Gauff’s dominance on the occasion by no means wavered.

In singles play, she went on to defeat Donna Vekic (Croatia), Zhang Shuai (China), Muchova (Czech Republic) after which Swiatek within the closing — all in straight units — as she helped lead the Americans to a title over Poland. Despite having a 3-11 profession document towards Swiatek, Gauff has now gained their previous two matches and regarded firmly in management all through their conflict in Sydney with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Gauff was named the event’s Most Valuable Player.

Gauff opted to not take part on the 500-level Adelaide occasion the week earlier than the Australian Open, as a substitute selecting to reach early in Melbourne and start coaching on web site. She was noticed working towards with two-time champion Victoria Azarenka earlier within the week, in addition to collaborating in a combined doubles charity match alongside Andrey Rublev and taking over Daria Saville and Lleyton Hewitt.

What can we count on from her on the Australian Open, and what are her possibilities to win the entire thing?

That’s the million-dollar — or $2.17 million, to be precise — query. As talked about earlier than, Gauff recorded her greatest outcome on the event final 12 months by reaching the semifinals, and because the No. 3 seed, she definitely seems poised to take action but once more. However, repeating that feat, or going even additional, will not be straightforward.

Gauff opens play Down Under towards fellow American Sofia Kenin, who gained the 2020 event. Kenin upset Gauff within the opening spherical at Wimbledon in 2023 — their final assembly — and is able to doing it once more. If Gauff wins, her highway would solely get harder. A slew of notable names, together with Jelena Ostapenko, Muchova, Belinda Bencic or four-time main champion Naomi Osaka, might await within the fourth spherical. Her former doubles associate, Jessica Pegula, who reached the ultimate on the US Open in September, may very well be her opponent within the quarterfinals.

If Gauff had been to make it that far, she would doubtlessly arrange a conflict with Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion who gained the title in Brisbane earlier this month, within the semifinals. Swiatek is on the other aspect of the draw, as are Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini and Navarro.

But Gauff sounded assured in regards to the state of her sport going into the 12 months’s first main following her efficiency on the United Cup.

“I’ve the assumption that I’m among the best gamers on the planet,” she mentioned after the ultimate towards Swiatek. “And after I play good tennis, I’m exhausting to beat.”