EXCLUSIVE: As Coco Gauff Rises to Fame at the US Open, New Coach Lays Bare the Impact of Father’s ‘Idea of Tennis’

It is often said that behind every successful man, there is a woman. However, in the case of Coco Gauff, it is completely the opposite. During her rise in her tennis career, Gauff has been hugely supported by her father, Corey. The latter was a well-renowned sportsperson but sacrificed his career so that his daughter could pursue her tennis ambition.

Recently, Gauff’s coach, Pere Riba revealed how the American tennis star’s father is involved in tennis. The 19-year-old had the strong backing of her family as they witnessed Gauff lifting the US Open title, her maiden Grand Slam trophy. Let’s find out what the coach had to say about Gauff’s father.

Pere Riba feels glad to have the backing of Gauff’s father

Hours ago, Riba was involved in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. During the conversation, he was asked about how closely Gauff’s father is involved in coaching. Talking about this, Riba said, “Corey has idea of tennis. When I’m talking with him a lot, he is giving to me a lot of suggestions. He understands what is going on. We share opinions. But the good thing is he is giving to me a lot of freedom. He has a lot of confidence in me. Now with the results, I can give this confidence back to him. Everything is working really well.”

Before the US Open, Gauff had a major rejig to her coaching staff. She hired Pere Riba to replace her former coach Diego Moyano.

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Additionally, she also added Brad Gilbert, who has worked with the likes of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. Amidst all these changes, she clarified about her father’s role in her coaching team.

Coco Gauff on her father’s coaching position

While Corey has often been spotted at his daughter’s training sessions and giving useful tips to her, the World Number 3 has opened up about his role in her coaching team. Talking about if her father is involved in coaching duties, Gauff said, “My dad isn’t – he’s just my dad. He sometimes sends scouting reports, just a little bit, but yeah, he’s not doing anything with the tennis. He may shout something because that’s just parents. But, yeah, he’s not helping me with the tennis pretty much at all at this point.”

Gauff is at the top of her tennis career. Moreover, being just 19, she has a long way to go and is already compared to the likes of Venus and Serena Williams. But only time will tell if she can emulate these tennis legends.

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