‘It Was Just Time’ – Coco Gauff Lays Bare Critical Reason Behind Abrupt Split With Coach Brad Gilbert

Very few might have imagined the split between Coco Gauff and Brad Gilbert, especially after a successful 2023 season. The American sensation won her maiden Grand Slam title last year at the US Open, apart from other honors. However, this year has been a stark contrast to the previous one for Gauff. With disappointing results and things not going her way, it eventually led to Brad Gilbert ending his partnership with Gauff in order to pursue new coaching adventures. However, the American sensation still remains one of the best players in the world currently and found Matt Daly to replace Gilbert. Subsequently, she broke her silence over the recent turn of events.

Coco Gauff is currently in Beijing to play in the China Open. During an interview with WTA Insider there, she spoke about her new coaching team, while reflecting on her time with Gilbert. The American sensation said, “I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I’m super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game. Working with Brad was really great and obviously we had a great partnership. It was just time to do a reset, a refresh and add some things in my game that I felt like I need to do to have a better season next year.”

Like Gilbert, Daly is an experienced coach and has also worked at the grassroots level. He found much success while working with junior players and eventually went on to coach Denis Shapovalov before joining forces with Coco Gauff. Daly will work alongside Jean-Christophe (“JC”) Faurel, who has been with Gauff for years in the role of a mentor. With the strong coaching foundation set, the onus lies on Gauff to have a quick turnaround in her fortunes.

While Gauff is going through a rough patch, there lies one major weakness in her game that needs immediate attention. It is her serve that has been under pressure and a big reason for her shocking losses. Nonetheless, she has already addressed the issue and hoping for a strong show in the upcoming tournaments.

Coco Gauff on her weakness: ‘When I serve well, I play pretty well’

Entering the US Open as the defending champion this year, Coco Gauff lost in the round of 16 match against her compatriot, Emma Navarro. While her defeat was unexpected, what was more shocking was the fact that she struck 19 double faults in the three sets that were played. Eventually, Gauff lost out to Navarro 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, ending her dreams of defending the US Open title.

However, with Daly in her team now, Gauff is actively working to overcome the major weakness in her game. She said, “There are other parts of my game that I want to work on, too, but the focus right now is the serve. When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that’s the basis for my game.”

Nonetheless, Gauff admitted that she is seeing some improvements while working on her service game with her new coach. However, she doesn’t want to change her technique drastically, maintaining that only ‘subtle’ changes will help her improve her game.

With the China Open underway, Gauff will face Clara Burel in the round of 64 tomorrow. Can she win the title in Beijing and start off her new coaching partnership with a bang? Let us know your views in the comments below.