This Australian Open, be careful for the teaching subplots

World No.2 Iga Swiatek, third-ranked Coco Gauff and No. 6 Elena Rybakina urgent the button for a giant teaching shake-up over the previous couple of months is certain to brighten the highlight on them and add a layer of intrigue to the ladies’s draw.

The three share seven Slams between them and are the one gamers within the WTA high 9 aside from world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka to know the texture of successful Majors. Contrasting circumstances and flips in kind by way of 2024 compelled them to maneuver out of their consolation zone. Rybakina’s case is far more dramatic, and nearly fittingly includes a Goran Ivanisevic entry, however we’ll get to that in a bit.

Let’s speak Coco first. Not simply because she seems to be the closest challenger to two-time defending champion Sabalenka in Melbourne, however she’s additionally been the shape participant coming in. A lot of that’s right down to her teaching change.

The American, then in her teenagers, had turned the toast of her nation when she captured the 2023 US Open. All of it went pear-shaped after that for Gauff, who solely managed one WTA 250 title between then and her return to New York for the title defence.

A fourth-round defeat there to compatriot Emma Navarro evidently rattled Gauff. She cut up with Brad Gilbert after just a little over a yr and introduced within the little-known Matt Daly for a reset. And off they went, tasting instant success on the WTA China Open. Gauff kicked on to grow to be final yr’s WTA Finals champion and lead USA all the way in which on the 2025 United Cup, the place she brushed apart Swiatek.

Some modifications, prefer to her grip and serve, have been delicate. The large shift has been in her strategy. Gauff’s sport was constructed round unrelenting defence, which she is now courageous sufficient to combine it up with extra proactive assaults.

“Earlier than, I really feel like I gained numerous matches simply with the ability to get numerous balls again. I realised that’s not the way in which to play if I wish to have extra success on the tour as a result of ladies are hitting more durable and more durable day by day (and) being extra aggressive,” Gauff stated.

If the US Open was Gauff’s set off for a revamp, it was the Paris Olympics for Swiatek. The runaway world No.1 and favorite for gold was surprised within the semi-final. That stung, and began a downward spiral for the remainder of the season by which Sabalenka dethroned her.

Whereas Gauff was fast together with her shuffle, the Pole took loads of time to zero down on changing her long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. In got here Wim Fissette, whose physique of teaching work features a few former world No.1s in Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep, amongst others. Their affiliation has fetched combined outcomes to date, but it surely’s clear Swiatek realised she needed to do one thing totally different regardless of being high ranked for a big a part of 2024.

“If you happen to’re not going to evolve in tennis, the opposite ladies are going to return after you and immediately you’ll get up as being, I don’t know, exterior of the highest 50 or one thing,” Swiatek advised fellow professional Caroline Garcia in her Tennis Insider Membership podcast.

Rybakina remains to be very a lot within the high 50 (sixth, in actual fact) regardless of enjoying simply 15 tournaments final yr. Accidents and sickness stored the 2022 Wimbledon champion extra off the court docket than on it, and even there she appeared a shadow of herself. And her teaching scenario continues to be gray.

Rybakina cut up together with her long-time coach Stefano Vukov days earlier than the US Open, earlier than roping in Ivanisevic — the maverick former Wimbledon champion who most lately coached Novak Djokovic — for this season. This month, Rybakina introduced Vukov would re-join her group, just for the WTA to disclose that Vukov was provisionally suspended pending investigation for a possible breach of conduct. Murmurs about Rybakina and Vukov’s troubled working relationship had been swirling round final yr, though the previous maintains he “by no means mistreated” her.

In all this, coach Ivanisevic is reportedly enjoying wait and watch. And watch we will too, in what the teaching shake-ups brings to those high contenders in Australia.

EOM