This Oz Open, watch out for the coaching subplots

Sabalenka seeks three-peat

- Rutvick Mehta

MUMBAI: As far as coaching changes go, Andy Murray blending into Team Novak takes the cake, and it whipped up lots of chatter heading into the new tennis season. Look through the other side, though, and three of the top six women players will have new faces in the coaches' box at the Australian Open beginning Sunday.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, third-ranked Coco Gauff and No. 6 Elena Rybakina pressing the button for a big coaching shake-up over the last few months is bound to brighten the spotlight on them and add a layer of intrigue to the women's draw.

The three share seven Slams between them and are the only players in the WTA top nine apart from world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to know the feel of winning Majors. Contrasting circumstances and flips in form through 2024 compelled them to move out of their comfort zone. Rybakina's case is much more dramatic, and almost fittingly involves a Goran Ivanisevic entry, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Let's talk Coco first. Not just because she appears to be the closest challenger to two-time defending champion Sabalenka in Melbourne, but she's also been the form player coming in. Much of that is down to her coaching change.