Defending US Open champion Coco Gauff made an alarming admission of being "mentally exhausted" after narrowly surviving a major scare in her opening match. The 21-year-old third seed scraped past Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in a gruelling encounter that lasted two hours and 57 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"Honestly it's been really tough, mentally exhausting," Gauff confessed afterwards. "But I'm trying. It wasn't the best today, but it was an improvement on last week [in Cincinnati]; I'm just trying to improve with each match."
The 2023 champion looked far from her best throughout the nerve-wracking contest. She committed 59 unforced errors and served 10 double faults, while being broken six times by her experienced opponent.
Coaching shake-up
Gauff's struggles come amid a chaotic build-up to the tournament, having shaken up her coaching team on the eve of the US Open. She replaced long-time coach Matt Daly with biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan in a desperate bid to address her unreliable serve.
According to the Daily Mail, MacMillan previously helped solve Aryna Sabalenka's serving problems before she became world number one. "I know when I did this, I was not going to maybe serve the best," Gauff acknowledged about the timing of her coaching changes.
Serving woes persist
The American's serving troubles were evident throughout the match against Tomljanovic, who has 17 years of professional experience. Had the Australian been more clinical - she committed 56 errors herself and lost her serve eight times - Gauff's title defence might have ended before it truly began.
"It was a tough match. Ajla was tough, she was getting so many balls back," Gauff said. The Guardian reports that Gauff practiced serving until her shoulder was hurting in preparation, highlighting the extent of her technical struggles.
Championship implications
Despite the concerning performance, Gauff showed the resilience of a champion by digging deep when it mattered most. The Guardian notes that a deep US Open run could see her reach the world number one ranking for the first time in her career.
The defending champion will need to find her form quickly as she advances to the second round, with her mental state and serving consistency remaining major question marks in her title defence.
Sources used: "Daily Mail", "Guardian", "Independent", "GBNews" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
