Coco Gauff has revealed she is “trusting the process” with coach Gavin MacMillan after a difficult start to her 2026 season.
World No 4 Gauff has been working with MacMillan since 2025, joining forces with her coach after her split with Matt Daly shortly before the US Open last year.
Renowned grip specialist MacMillan has been working in Gauff’s team alongside the American’s longstanding coach, J.C. Faurel, with a specific focus on working on the 21-year-old’s serve and forehand technique — with those two areas often recognised as weaknesses in her game.
After Gauff was beaten in the fourth round of the US Open, she reached the semi-final of the China Open and won the Wuhan Open, arguably her best run of form since MacMillan joined her team.
However, she was then knocked out in the round-robin stage of the 2025 WTA Finals, and has achieved mixed results at the start of 2026.
Gauff won three of her four singles matches at the United Cup and reached the last eight of the Australian Open, though struggled immensely in her quarter-final against Elina Svitolina.
It took just 59 minutes for Svitolina to seal an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 victory over a below-par Gauff in Melbourne, and the American failed to bounce back in her return to action last week.
Gauff hit a staggering 39 unforced errors in a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Qatar Open, marking the third straight year in which she lost her opening match in Doha.
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She now turns her attention to the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was a semi-finalist in 2023 and a quarter-finalist in 2021 and 2024.
However, the American was beaten in the opening round of the tournament in 2025, falling to McCartney Kessler.
The Middle East swing has not been a happy hunting ground for the two-time Grand Slam champion in recent years, and Gauff does not want to dwell too much on her form across the swing.
Asked about her partnership with MacMillan during her pre-tournament press conference, the 21-year-old revealed she was taking a more patient approach.
“I feel like I’m trusting the process. I mean, I’m very tough on myself,” said Gauff. “It is easy to look at this and be like: ‘I’m doing so bad’.
“When I look at all my seasons, maybe it’s something I need to fix, but in all my seasons, I just haven’t done well here.
“I’m trying to figure out the recipe. Also, in all fairness to this part of the swing, I think most players would agree they want to peak at the Grand Slams.
“For most of them — I still have to figure out Wimbledon — I have been doing that. It’s a learning process. I think my serve is improving.
“I feel more comfortable going after it. The doubles are definitely less this year. I just have to trust that.”
Gauff faces a tricky opener at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the second WTA 1000 event of the 2026 season.
The American is seeded third at the tournament and receives an opening-round bye, though will face Anna Kalinskaya in the second round, with the Russian knocking out former champion Jelena Ostapenko on Monday.
Once Gauff’s campaign in Dubai concludes, the star will head Stateside for consecutive WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
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