Brad Gilbert, the seasoned coach of tennis star Coco Gauff, is no stranger to the controversies that continue to unfold on the tennis courts. But this time, the controversy surrounds the former pro himself, as he grapples with an unexpected challenge. After Gauff’s shocking defeat at the Canadian Open against Russian star Diana Shnaider, coach Gilbert fell prey to the wrath of the fans, as he faced severe criticism on social media. But in such difficult times, the veteran, who celebrated his 63rd birthday on Friday, is receiving great life lessons and support from his wife.

Wishing her husband on his birthday, Kim shared a heartfelt post on her Instagram account. “When getting older just means getting better. Happy birthday and a day @bgtennisnation,” she wrote. Continuing further, she advised Gilbert to remain unaffected by the flak that he has been receiving lately. “You’re a good man, don’t take sh*t from anybody #63+1 The dogs love you, the kids love you and I love you.” This comes at a time when the former tennis star is finding it difficult to give a befitting reply to his critics.

Remember, right after Gauff’s defeat, several tennis enthusiasts took to social media platforms and suggested that the 20-year-old should split up with her coach. Coco has failed to achieve significantly this year. Her only remarkable victory came during the French Open where she partnered with Katerina Siniakova in the doubles category.

While her fans are not happy with Gilbert, Gauff herself has also expressed anger against the coach publicly this season. She had a verbal tussle with Gilbert during her fourth-round clash against Emma Navarro at Wimbledon. Trailing behind in the match, the American player looked towards her box in the second set, wanting some help.

“Tell me something. You guys aren’t saying anything,” the reigning US Open winner shouted in frustration. A puzzled Brad Gilbert tried to give her a plan B through gestures, but it didn’t work out eventually, as Gauff lost the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Interestingly, Gauff and Gilbert have split in the past as well. 

When Gilbert left Gauff for Zendaya

This is not the first time when Gauff and Gilbert have witnessed a situation that could lead to their possible split. The 63-year-old has parted ways with Gauff previously as well, although for a very short time. The duo took a break earlier this year when the American coach decided to train Zendaya for her movie ‘Challengers.’

This led to several speculations with many suggesting that the partnership between Gauff and Gilbert came to an end. However, the 20-year-old was quick to issue a clarification. “No, he did not choose Zendaya over me,” she said with a smile at a press conference. “I think I kind of told him to take a step back, especially with starting with J.C., I wanted him to just be able to work on it on his own and play a tournament by himself.”

But amidst the growing flak that Gilbert is receiving now, it would be interesting to see if he and Gauff take some serious decisions and actually part ways ahead of the US Open campaign.