Coco Gauff’s ‘Big Lesson’ to Former Coach Unveiled as He Recalls His Tenure With the US Open Champion

Coaches are tasked with teaching the players the proper technique and helping them improve in areas they need to improve. They are the guides and the master who propels a talent forward with their expertise. But coaches also learn from the ones they are guiding. The former coach of Coco Gauff recently talked about the latter part as he is ready to guide another player forward.

Riba and Gauff announced their split at the end of October. Riba’s personal issues and family business could not keep his coaching career viable. However, he is back to coaching now and looking forward to applying the knowledge he gained from Gauff.

What the ex-coach of Coco Gauff learned from her

Riba and Gauff spent a good few months together. In their time together, Gauff learned how to hit better forehand shots. With the counsel of Brad Gilbert on top, she saw even better improvements. But all good things come to an end, and Riba left her team. Now that he is back to coaching, he has shared what he has learned from Gauff in ‘The Functional Tennis Podcast’. 

“Well, I learned a lot of things. You know, it’s like, many times that people is saying, you know, these coaches teaching a lot and then sometimes the coaches scouts so we can learn a lot from the players. And then, you know, Coco is a really professional, you know, discipline that she has, you know, have many, many good things that these the reason that why she’s a top player, and she become a big lesson, in my opinion.“

Read More: Days After Snubbing Coco Gauff for Qinwen Zheng, Ex-Coach Breaks Silence – ‘My Personal Situation Changed’

Riba’s departure came as a shock to many. Fans speculated that the two had gotten on each other’s bad side, which is why the split occurred. But Riba cleared the air on why the two were going their separate ways, which drew further flak.

Pere Riba on why he split with Gauff

Riba and Gauff became the dream team as they won a WTA 500, Masters, and slam together. But the dream ended quickly when the two announced a split at the end of October. Many wondered if they went their separate ways because things turned sour between them. Riba later came out to say that he was the one who stepped back because of personal issues and family business.

He did not stay involved in his issues for long as he is back to coaching the player he was guiding before Gauff, Qinwen Zheng. His move to reunite with her drew the ire of fans of the American sensation. They questioned his integrity and wondered if he had any ulterior motives. While he did explain why he went back to Zheng, the controversy has not died down yet. 

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