Coco Gauff is raising the stakes on the court. At just 20 years old, she is known for her powerful groundstrokes, quick footwork, and sharp tactical awareness. This season has been nothing short of incredible. Gauff clinched her first Grand Slam title at the US Open and added a WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati. Now, she’s riding a wave of success into the WTA Finals after defeating Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2 in her opening match. And then she went on to defeat the world No. 2! The big question on many critic’s minds is, how did she do it?

In an impressive display, Gauff took down Iga Swiatek with a score of 6-3, 6-4, securing her spot in the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh. This win marks only the second time Gauff has triumphed over Swiatek in their 13 career meetings, with their head-to-head now standing at 2-11. During a chat about her performance on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, Coco Vandeweghe shared what she thought helped Gauff in the match, “I think it was just a confidence factor from Coco Gauff. I think just the new coaching aspect of coming out there and playing and just being sure of herself.”

This season, Coco Gauff has been working with Brad Gilbert and Jean-Christophe Faurel to refine her serve. After a tough outing at the 2024 US Open, where she recorded 19 double faults in a match, Gauff knew adjustments were necessary. Previously coached by Darren Cahill, that partnership wasn’t delivering results. As Coco Vandeweghe noted, “I think that’s been the question mark going through the whole US Open.” However, Gauff’s service now drew significant attention, especially after her struggles. Yet, despite those 11 double faults, she managed to recover and secure key victories. “But how was she able to recover? She didn’t let it affect her and that’s where the confidence comes in so massively out there,” Vendeweghe added.

With a 2-0 record in the round-robin play, Gauff moved to the top of the Orange table. After Barbora Krejcikova beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets, Gauff’s spot in the semifinals was confirmed, however, her position will be decided after her final group fixture against Krejcikova on Thursday. With this newfound confidence in her performance will she be able to do it? Well, another ex-pro believes that her new coaching may play a hand in her success.

“Credit to Matt Daly”, Andy Roddick weighs in on Coco’s performance at the WTA Finals

After facing scrutiny over her forehand and double faults earlier this season, Gauff had turned things around in China. Since then her new coach, Matt Daly, has been in the spotlight for helping her elevate her game. Following a disappointing exit at the US Open, Gauff bounced back to win the China Open and reach the semifinals in Wuhan. Now, with newly claimed victories against Pegula and Swiatek in straight sets at the WTA Finals, she has proven her incredible skill.

On October 5th, Andy Roddick weighed in on Gauff’s resurgence during his ‘Served’ podcast. Noting how her recent performances reflect significant improvement after her struggles. “I think Coco looks actually great post-US Open,” Roddick said. “I almost feel like she needed to get through that tournament and that title defense to kinda open up a little bit.” He praised Gauff’s serve, pointing out that while she still faced some double faults, “the variance in misses is way less.” And for this, Roddick credited Daly for his role in this transformation, stating, “So credit to Matt Daly who I don’t think anyone had in their bingo card.”

Additionally, Roddick discussed Gauff’s split from former coach Brad Gilbert, suggesting it provided her with a fresh burst of energy. “There is something kind of buzzy about it,” he noted, emphasizing how this change has positively impacted her game. With her latest improvements, everyone’s eager to see if she can maintain this momentum and potentially secure another title in Riyadh. Now as she heads to compete with Krejcikova, the tension is palpable. Will Matt Daly help Coco overcome all her obstacles? Only time will tell!