Coco Gauff's Coach Reveals Her Most Important Goal Right Now

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 11:40 AM ET

Coco Gauff won the Wuhan Open in dominant fashion earlier this month. Gauff did not drop a set throughout the entire WTA 1000 Masters event. The American star's clinical performance would not have happened had she not made a drastic move in August.

In the week between the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open, Gauff parted ways with coach Matt Daly, bringing in biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan.

Gauff explained the sudden decision was because MacMillian had become available, and she was willing to sacrifice the rest of the season if it meant correcting the issues plaguing her serve. The results speak for themselves as Gauff is 12-2 since partnering with MacMillan.

Yesterday, the biomechanics guru who is credited with unlocking Aryna Sabalenka's serve participated in an interview with the Tennis Channel. Funny enough, Gauff's former coach, Brad Gilbert, asked MacMillan what the goal is besides eliminating double faults.

MacMillan said, "The goal for her, first and foremost, is to establish an effective kick serve. So once she's doing that and is confident in it, and this last tournament, the first round, she did really, really well. First match, and I don't know how many years she hasn't doubled at all."

MacMillan added, "And once we have that in place, we can start establishing hitting more effective first serves that not only have velocity, but spin. It's not just one thing to hit it hard. If you hit it hard and it bounces flat, it's into everybody's wheelhouse. What you really want to be doing is hitting it hard with spin that jumps up out of there strike zone.

MacMillan referenced another sport he has worked in, "Because if you're not doing that, then it's like baseball. Straight fastballs don't work; you have to have movement on it. So, those are the goals immediately."

A kick serve is a technique that uses topspin and a low-to-high swing to make the ball have a high, aggressive bounce. Players usually employ this method on second serves.

Gauff is currently the WTA World No. 3 with a record of 47-14 with two titles. Her final tournament of the year will be the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she will try to defend her title against the sport's top eight players.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: