Coco Gauff Made This Big Switch-Up Ahead Of The 2025 Australian Open—And It Already Seems To Be Working
Going into the 2025 Australian Open, Coco Gauff has a whole lot to prove. In September, the 20-year-old announced her split from coach Brad Gilbert, marking this the first Grand Slam that she's competed in without him in a few years.
Now, Coco has joined forces with Matt Daly, who's working with her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel. The switch-up seems to be working: The No.3 seed has won 19 of her 21 most recent matches, including the China Open and the WTA Finals.
So who is Matt Daly and how is he improving Coco’s game? Here’s what you need to know.
Why did Coco split with her coach?
Coco first joined forces with Gilbert in July 2023, when he served as a consultant for her, per the US Open. Together, they went on an incredible run which culminated in her winning the 2023 US Open.
But a year later, things seemingly soured between them when she suggested she wasn’t happy with her team after losing at Wimbledon.
“I don’t always ask for advice on the box. Today was one of those rare moments where I felt like I didn’t have solutions,” Coco told reporters after her loss to No.19 seed (and fellow American) Emma Navarro. “I don’t want to say I didn't have any, because I think I’m a capable player of coming up with some. I think today, mentally, there was a lot going on. I felt like I wanted more direction from the box.”
Coco made it clear that she is responsible for her loss, though. "No one’s to blame except myself," she added. "I mean, I’m the player out there. I have to make decisions for myself on the court."
In September, the two announced via separate social media messages that they'd parted ways. “Coco, at just 20 years young, your future is incredibly bright, and I wish you nothing but continued success ahead,” Gilbert wrote. “We had an incredible run and I wish you all the best in the future!” Coco added.
Coco ultimately felt that it was time for a change. "Working with Brad was really great and obviously we had a great partnership,” she later told WTA Insider. “I think it was just time to do a reset, a refresh, and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year."
Who is Matt Daly?
That same month, Coco hired Matt Daly to join her longtime coach Jean-Christophe Faurel. Daly played tennis at the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 2001, per WTA Insider. Before Coco, the 45-year-old coached No.56 Denis Shapovalov.
“I'm really excited,” Coco said, per WTA Insider. “I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I'm super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game.”
Daly is affiliated with the Westchester Tennis Center and has been a coach for nearly two decades, according to his official bio.
Coco is working on her serve and grip.
Coco has a few things she wants to work on with Daly, the first being her serve. "There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve," she told WTA Insider. "When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that's the basis for my game."
She also said she’s making “subtle” changes. “Already, the little bit we've done has made a drastic improvement to where I was three weeks ago," she said in September. “At this point, there's not a crazy amount, like going through a whole technique change or resetting everything. It's just subtle things that, doing it for a week now, will help me.”
Coco's also working on her grip. “I don't want to give too much of what's going on, but there are changes happening,” she told Tennis.com.
Daly created a device that improves grip.
That isn't surprising, given Daly's history. He's the founder of something called GripMD, which is a device that goes on a racket handle to help improve grip.
“He has a lot of expertise in that area,” Coco told Tennis.com. “Honestly, not just that. He does really good at tactical stuff, mental side, too. But yeah, Matt is great. We're changing stuff.”
Good luck, Coco!
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