Soon after Coco Gauff lifted the US Open, tennis fans went into a sudden shock when the rumors of Gauff and Pere Riba parting ways made the air. The rumors were soon confirmed and many could not believe it as the man, who helped Gauff land so much silverware this year unexpectedly left her camp. However, after being out of the coaching role for a long time, he finally announced his comeback to the sport as he paired up with former student Qinwen Zheng.
In a recent revelation, he went ahead to talk about his bond with the Chinese player. Not only this, he also revealed the real reason for his split up with the American champion while suggesting personal problems to be the core of it.
Pere Riba opens up on his relationship with Qinwen Zheng
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In a seamless transition from coaching tennis sensation Coco Gauff, Pere Riba starts a new chapter with Qinwen Zheng. Interestingly, he has worked with Zheng earlier as well. In a recent interview, Pere Riba gave interesting insights about coaching Zheng while describing his bond with her as that of a sibling.
He highlighted their friendship since their collaboration ended post-Roland Garros while expressing his admiration for Zheng. He considers her not just a student but also a ‘little sister.’ Their reconnection after the conclusion of the 2023 season has meant that the two have joined hands and are all set to rock the next season.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Qinwen, when we stopped working after Roland Garros we maintained our friendship, we’ve continued to have that contact, for me she’s like a little sister. After finishing the 2023 season and being released, he contacted me a week ago and then everything fell into place to continue with the process,” said Riba in the interview.
Qinwen Zheng announced she’s back working with Pere Riba for the 2024 season.
“Reunited after some time apart, ready to embark on the journey together & prepare for the upcoming year.”
Pere starting coaching Qinwen in 2021, but they split in 2023.
Back to business. 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/kJ7cpknAcw
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 3, 2023
Thus, a month after parting ways with US Open champion Coco Gauff, Pere Riba has now joined hands with the Chinese player as the two would be looking to start the new season on a high. Having already worked under Riba, Zheng will not face many problems.
While looking to start over again after parting ways with Gauff, Riba came ahead and revealed the real reason why the two decided to part ways. He further went ahead to confirm that their separation had nothing to do with their personal relations.
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Pere Riba reveals the real reason for splitting up with Coco Gauff
In the same interview, he went ahead to reveal the real reason why he decided to part ways with Gauff soon after he helped her win the US Open. He suggested that it was due to some personal problems that he thought that it would not be possible for him to stick around with Coco Gauff for the 2024 season. Riba further went ahead to suggest that their personal relations were very good and that he just needed some time to spend with his family.
The sudden break-up between the two came as a surprise to many as he helped Gauff lay her hands on her first-ever grand slam at the Flushing Meadows. However, his announcement of coaching Qinwen Zheng dealt with a lot of backlash from the fans who did not seem excited about the new pairup.
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Thus, Pere Riba, who has now joined hands with Qinwen Zheng reflected on his bond with the Chinese star. He further revealed her bond with Gauff and the real reason why the two decided to part ways with each other.
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