Intriguing Case of Coco Gauff’s Split With Coach Pere Riba and His Reunion With Her WTA Rival

Coco Gauff has had many coaches since the time she turned pro. However, no one helped her produce the results she achieved with Pere Riba. Their journey eventually came to an end. But as the 2024 season rolls around, there is much buzz around what the two are doing now. The Australian Open will show how their individual efforts have worked out so far.  

Coco Gauff’s tennis journey with Pere Riba

Coco Gauff and Pere Riba joined hands after the 19-year-old’s French Open stint ended earlier than planned. The two came together before the grass season. Their collaboration did not have a great start as Gauff faced back-to-back defeats in the grass swing, with a first-round exit in Wimbledon. However, things would turn around soon.

As soon as the American hardcourt swing rolled around, their losing streak came to an end. Gauff, with help from Riba, would go on to win the Washington Open, Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open. The two were still a team after the tournament but announced that they would go their separate ways after the 2023 season.

What went wrong with the Gauff-Riba player-coach equation

Although the two became a dream pair, they eventually had to split apart. Gauff and Riba announced the news near the end of October and shocked the world. Fans speculated that the two had a falling out and could not work together anymore. Riba cleared the air on the matter and later revealed that he is stepping away from the coaching role due to personal reasons.

Read More – Coco Gauff’s Former Coach Quashes’ Conflict’ Rumors Once and for All as He Looks Back on a Sudden Parting of Ways

He stated that he had family matters that demanded his undivided attention, and he could not travel with Gauff. After he stepped down, Brad Gilbert, who initially joined as a consultant, stepped up to take the lead in guiding the American sensation for future tournaments. As of now, he will accompany the young Coco Gauff in this new season.

Gauff’s former coach reunited with Qinwen Zheng

Riba stepped down as Gauff’s lead coach but would soon take up the role of coaching Qinwen Zheng. This would be the second time Riba took on the role of coaching Zheng. The two first came together at the beginning of 2021. They would then split after the 2023 French Open. With Riba, Zheng rose to the top 100 and managed to come on a steady path.

After their split, the two would come back together in December, successfully alighting a controversy. Zheng and Riba stated that they had joined hands for the 2024 season and were ready to embark on their journey. Riba and Zheng announced it through a post on their Instagram page.

The announcement took many tennis fans by surprise, and they questioned the Spanish coach about his decision. He replied that the situation changed faster than he had imagined. Consequently, Zheng appeared, and the two joined hands once again.  

The confusing story behind Gauff’s ex-coach split with Qinwen Zheng

Zheng and Riba first partnered early in 2021 and split in 2023. However, the reason for their split would make some scratch their heads because of the lack of clarity. After him, Zheng worked with Wim Fissette, who was Naomi Osaka’s former coach. 

Fissette would eventually go back to Osaka. Zheng was enraged after the split and stumbled for a while before she eventually reunited with Riba. The two are aiming to make it the season where Zheng reaches the top of the WTA and ensure a stronger partnership than ever.

Watch This Story – ‘I Just Never Got Into Her..’- 18-Year-Old Coco Gauff’s Blatant Taylor Swift Admission as She Struggles to Remember Hit Albums