It was Rocky opened for us already for Coco Gauff

Eleven weeks before, Coco Gauff It was standing in the Filippe Chatrier court and he was raised by Suzanne Lenglen Cup as he cheered her up to the same as thousands.

It was the second main name of her young career, after the star clay season, and looked ready for more success during the rest of the year.

But it could not find any swing on the grass. She lost in the opening at her lonely warm-up tournament in front of Wimbledon. And in the whole club, England, three weeks after his triumph in Paris, was upset in the first round in the right sets.

“I feel like mentally, I almost overwhelmed everything that came after (French”, open), “said disappointed gauff after losing.” I didn’t feel like I could celebrate and go back too. “

But the early exit meant Gauff, 21, it would have more time to prepare for North American hard swinging and final years compared to the United States. She won the title 2023. years and was an early competition to win him again.

On Thursday, Gauff returned in front of a crowd, and this time, in front of 24,000 people at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He won in his second round of conflict against Donna VekićAnd the fans showed that harmonization for all Gauff prevailed in the match. It was visible to fight during.

“Honestly, it was hard for me today, but I was just happy with how I managed to manage it. It was a rough few weeks,” Gauff said before she started crying. “You guys really helped me do this to me, and I do it too for you. No matter how hard it is inside you can do it.”

Now in the third round in New York after its heavy stay of 7-6 (5), 6-2 victories across Vekić, Gauff currently has the fourth chance of ESPN to win the title and is certainly a fan favorite. But while she found a way to keep the victory, it was a ride submarine, on and off the field, to reach this point.

After fighting her service during the summer, she made changes in her team hoping to correct it in the days leading to the tournament. While players shoot and hire new coaches all the time, it is a little close to Major, and even less when they try to implement so consequently technical fixing.

It is a highly risky dice and the one that Gauff hopes will have a great reward. But even she knows how big a challenge it is for the time of her most important and favorite tournament in the year.

However, no matter what happened this for two weeks, it believes it’s worth it.

“I mean, the tournament is a tournament,” Gauff said. “I hate the loss no matter where I am. If it was 250 (level), I would feel just as crazy to do it.

“Yeah, I felt this was a good opportunity. I’m a part of the season. I’m One of Those People, I’m Looking at Long-term. I Hope and Can Get It All Together … By Then (But) If Not, I Have The Rest of this year to work on it. But I do know and needed to make a change, technical change to it, and I don’t want to waste time continuing doing the wrong things. “

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Gauff did not want to change so drastically immediately before it was open.

She loved her coach Matt Dali, who started working with her last year after she opened outdoors, and she went to win China, almost immediately after that. But she could no longer negate the seriousness of her trouble in the service. During his second round match at the Canadian opening at the end of July, Gauff had 23 double mistakes – the most in the WTA match since 2019. Years. Exceptionally, because of her amazing all the environment and fierce bale, she won the match. She was 42 in total during her three matches in the tournament.

At the beginning of the US Open, Gauff was led by VTA this season in double mistakes – and she had 95 more than anyone else.

Powerful weapons when it is at its best, it is capable of serving over 128 miles per hour. But her service technician also let down in many key moments during her career. After opening us open from 2024. After losing the fourth round, which saw her 19 double mistakes, Gauff tried to face them with trouble.

She fired the beard of Gilbert and brought Dali, a growing specialist. With his instructions, in addition to the long time coach Jean-Christophe Faurel, Gauff changed his hands positioning on the racket – and saw immediate results. In addition to conquering titles in China, Gauf finished Gauff as a champ on the final of the VTA in November.

There is an effective change in slower clay courts. But since the tour returned to the grass and the hard court, she became more clear for Gauff – and those around her – that if they wanted to achieve the huge career goals she set for himself, her service needed a complete overhaul.

Like a basketball player that changes his movement of recording or golfer by transferring his momentum, it is not a small endeavor. And last week, when Gavin Macmillan, a biomechanical expert, who helped the most famous Arina Sabalenka Overcoming its IPS serving 2022. year, in its words, “magically available”, “Gauff could no longer wait for more. Gauff could not risk himself to join someone else’s team, so she made a” quick decision. “

Last Wednesday, four days before the start of the main draw, Gauff was observed at the court court with Macmillan and Faurel, leading to the current speculation of the changes she made. He later confirmed that she made the roads gave and brought him to Macmillan. They immediately had to work – and even seen in the then – mainly empty courts of practice as the rain later poured later during the day.

“The practice practitioner was hard because I spent a lot of time in court literally serving until my shoulder,” Gauff said on Tuesday, Gauff said. “Yes, it’s just hard.”

Many around the sport are stunned for time. Andy RoddickIn 2003, the open champion was spent several days of working with Gauffom 2023. year, he called it “ambitious” in his suitably appointed “served” podcast.

“It is very surprising that a player, a top player,” said right in large special, “said the former player of the player who turned Patrick Mcenroe on call before the tournament. “But one of the things you need to love with Coco Gauff is that it wants to be better. It is open to hear from different people.”

Gauff, who did not want to share too much specificity about changes when asked, compare it to learning a new language. Former world no. 1 And the four-year large Champion Jim Courier spotted during a tennis channel that broadcasted that she “did a little different thing with his hook, shoulders, (i) with her bitching racket” and called “highly complicated things.”

“To put in practice in practice, I can’t emphasize enough how long it takes the bowels,” he added.

Gauff told reporters trying to “not become obsessed (that), but it was clear that she dominated her thoughts, because she admitted to looking at pictures and marked their social media services.

During his first round match on Tuesday, Gauff brought everything she learned during six days of practice with Macmilan. Playing at Arthur Ashe in Night Session Against Rien Australian Ajla Tomljanovicwhich literally completed the Career of Serena Williams in the same court three years before, Gauff proved how much such a big change could be a big change.

In solid dispute 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 victories lasted only at three o’clock, Gauff lost six service games and had 10 roles – including two backs in 5-4. She later said that she was “mentally exhausted” and recognized how hard it was to focus on new changes and not returning to old habits, during the heat of the battle.

“It’s a new movement,” Gauff said after the game. “At Times I Do It Well, and at the Do It Well, Or When I Do It, It’s Always A Good Result. It’s Just Reminding Myself How to do It. But Obviously There Are So Many Things Going On In My Head at Those Tough Moments And Not Just Thinking about the serve. I’m thinking about how to play out the point, where to serve, what she sha’s going to do. “

Finally, Gauff said it was a “match that you needed” because of my intensity and very stressful moments and a “good test”.

Playing again at the Prime Minister Night match on Ashe on Thursday night, Gauff had another stack of the beginning. It was twice as wrong seven times in the opening set and was broken into four services. After double mistakes to lose another service and with a score even in 4-everyone, Gauff was seen that Gauff cried during the crossing. Shortly after that, searching for 6-5 and violated in the previous game in part because of two double mistakes, Gauff desperately exercised service while Vekić needed medical interruption.

An unexpected reset chance seemed to help Gauff, because she then forced the set key and took control. She interrupted a short break before the second kit to spray the water on the face in the bathroom and return her calm. Many more other sets were followed. It may be most impressive than everything, she only had one double mistake. She could not hide her relief on the conclusion of the match.

“I think it was just nerves and only pressure, honestly, and I’m someone who can usually succeed on it,” later told Gauff to the press. “There was a lot of this tournament, more than usual, what I expected to get in. So, basically what you’ve seen was what it was and I was a challenging moment for me in court.”

Gauff will the following face no. 28 Seeds Magdalena Cheeki On Saturday. Gauff won both his previous career meetings, including 6-1, 6-2 Roits in the circle on the 16th round of 1924. Australian Open, so it could be another key opportunity to progress before the competition is even stronger. If she won that match, the formation of the resource blocks Naomi OsakaThe two-time champion for the US Open could wait in the fourth round.

Gauff has repeatedly found ways to win, this week and during the entire career, even when its service is left down, and maybe it will have to do this tournament again. But while her goal in New York to regain the trophy, her current focus is exclusively in the implementation of the changes she learned.

She knows that he does it – no matter how uncomfortable or uncomfortable – is the only way to achieve its final goals. Even moments of panic and confusion, as obviously tortured as for her, will only help her long-term.

“I think this whole tournament will keep my career with me, knowing that if I can go, like two difficult matches I feel, I know I can go through pretty much,” Gauff said on Thursday night. “I know no matter what, I hope to get more nerves and when you get nerves, I remember this feeling and I know that it can probably not be much worse than this.”