Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have become constants for nearly all major tournaments for the last two years. Whether it’s the French Open, US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open, or almost anything else, Sinner and Alcaraz found themselves among the final four more often than not. The result? The duo has faced one another seven times in the last two years. So when Coco Gauff discussed tennis, she couldn’t leave those two out.

When asked about what she thinks about 10 women winning the US Open in the last 11 years, Gauff couldn’t help but bring up the comparison. After all, only 8 men have won the title during the same time frame, with Alcaraz and Sinner winning in ’22 and ’24, respectively. However, there’s one factor in women’s tennis that sets it apart from its men’s counterpart, and that’s the fewer sets.

“I think that, statistically, if you play three out of five, usually the better player has more time to get their game together,” said Gauff. Yet that’s also the reason, “when you go into a tournament and you already know who’s going to make the finals or at least the semis. Or you know who the four players are going to be. I feel like it can be a little bit boring,” Coco Gauff told the media.

For now, those two seem to be Sinner and Alcaraz. Just this year alone, Sinner and Alcaraz have created a duopoly in the Grand Slam circuit. Sinner started with the Australian Open, while Alcaraz denied him the Roland Garros, before Sinner hit back again, winning Wimbledon. And after the duo meeting at the Cincinnati Masters finals, fans once again expect them to make it to at least the final four at the 2025 US Open.

And that’s exactly what Coco Gauff said about people knowing who’ll play for the title, unless a massive upset happens. Yet, that didn’t mean Gauff didn’t enjoy Alcaraz and Sinner playing against one another. “I mean, obviously, Carlos and Jannik are always entertaining to watch,” the American said in the same breath. Although she did emphasize that the unpredictability of women’s tennis made it special. That being said, the 21-year-old did something no one predicted.

Coco Gauff’s embraced change ahead of the US Open

It’s nothing new for athletes to collaborate with specialist coaches to improve one aspect of their game. For the former US Open champ, that’s been her serve. While it may be risky to make coaching changes right before a Grand Slam, that’s exactly what Coco Gauff has done after hiring biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan. Then again, even Gauff didn’t plan this.

“It was a very sudden decision,” Coco Gauff admitted on Friday. “Gavin became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game, at least and I had to go with what I was feeling,” explained Gauff. What’s more surprising is that McMillan wasn’t just an addition but a replacement for parting coach Matt Daly. Now, that’s a big change ahead of the last Grand Slam of the year.

Although this spontaneous decision did have some crucial context behind it. Defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka had faced similar severe woes during the 2022 season and later credited McMillan for sorting it out for her. Naturally, Gauff thought, there wasn’t anyone who could address her woes better than the man who trained the defending champion?

The fact that Sabalenka once again praised McMillan for helping her on Friday would’ve only assured Coco Gauff that she made the right choice. “I tried literally everything, and nothing would help me to fix my serve. It was the last step before I would say, OK, bye-bye, tennis,” Sabalenka said on Friday. Safe to say the 21-year-old hopes to get the same results. The only question? Is there enough time?