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Coco Gauff facing clear scheduling decision after the US Open

Originally posted on HITC | By Callum Davies | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 11:09 AM ET

Coco Gauff has reached a point in her career where the choices she makes now could shape her path forward, and how she plans the next few months may be key to getting back on track.

Gauff brought in Gavin MacMillan just before the US Open, a move that surprised many and put plenty of attention on her.

While she wasn’t considered one of the top favourites heading into New York, making such an unexpected coaching change right before a major raised eyebrows across the tennis world and gave some an easy storyline if things didn’t go well.

Gauff’s run ended in the fourth round with a straightforward defeat to Naomi Osaka, which only added to questions about her current form.

With that result behind her, Gauff now faces important scheduling choices as she looks to finish 2025 on a stronger note.

Coco Gauff should skip as many tournaments as possible

What Gauff needs most is time to settle in with her new coach, away from the pressures of competition.

Playing matches can help sharpen skills, but overhauling a game doesn’t happen under the spotlight. It takes work behind the scenes.

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And at 21, Gauff could benefit from hitting pause on tournaments to focus on rebuilding her game with MacMillan.

The rest of the season has two Masters 1000 events and the year-end finals worth noting. Other than that, there’s not much left on the calendar.

Gauff may be better off skipping everything else and focusing on those three events while putting in practice time in between. A lighter schedule could give her the space she needs to iron out issues and come back stronger.

Why Coco Gauff chose Gavin MacMillan right before the US Open

Coco Gauff didn’t hesitate to explain her timing behind bringing in Gavin MacMillan as her new coach, speaking candidly about what led to the move.

During a press conference at the US Open, she said: “It was, like, a very sudden decision. Gavin became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game, and I had to go with what I was feeling.”

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The reigning French Open champion also mentioned that since she was already losing matches, she wanted to make sure she was at least trying to get things right.

“I mean, a tournament is a tournament. I hate losing regardless of where I am. If this was a 250, I would feel just as crazy to do it. I’m one of those people, I’m looking at long term. I hope I can get it all together. If not, I have the rest of this year to work on it,” Gauff continued.

“I know I needed to make a change, a technical change to it, and I don’t want to waste time continuing doing the wrong things.”

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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