Italian Open: Coco Gauff’s Coach Resumes Duties in a Heart-Felt Return to the ‘Eternal City’ After Zendaya’s Movie Kept Him Busy

Brad Gilbert, who has an enormous role in the successful career of tennis star Coco Gauff, is back in the tournament after a noticeable gap. While his absence made fans a bit curious, he was busy training the protagonist of Challengers movie, Zendaya. After attending the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Challengers’ in the US, he is back with Gauff proving that he “did not choose Zendaya” over her!

Brad Gilbert has recently put up a tweet announcing his arrival in Rome to help Coco Gauff pursue her dreams on clay court events. “Nice, to be back at the Rome tournament. 1st time I have been back since 2007, a lot of changes to the facilities.“ Coco Gauff last won a title on clay at the Emilia Romagna Open in 2021. It will be interesting to see if he can help Gauff break the jinx on clay courts this time around in Italy.

However, before coming to Italy, Coco Gauff released a clarification explaining the real reason behind hiring her former tennis coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel. Gauff said that she has worked with Faurel in the past and just wanted him to handle one tournament independently. Speaking on Gilbert’s absence, she said, “No, he did not choose Zendaya over me (smiling). 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.” 

She further went on to add, “And also, like, we are going to have two tournaments together. We’re going to spend a lot of time together. If you know Brad, it’s good to take a break sometimes.” She also disclosed that Brad Gilbert will be back very soon in her player box. Gauff emphasized that he wasn’t meant to accompany her to every tournament. But she assured the fans that Gilbert would be there at the “big” events. Now, seeing Gilbert’s presence in Italy, fans could easily get an idea of how crucial is this tournament for Coco Gauff this year. She desperately wants to make an end to her trophyless run on clay.

“I just want to get a recent clay title under my belt” – Coco Gauff

Although Coco Gauff reached the finals of the French Open in 2022, she has failed to bring her A-game on this surface after that. Last month during an interview Gauff said, “For the clay season this year, I’m really optimistic.” She further went on to disclose her goal for this season by saying, “Obviously the goal is to win the French Open. But that’s every season for any top player. Your goals should be to try to win the big tournaments.“

In Stuttgart, she reached the QF and in Madrid, she could only make it to the R16. How far can she go in Rome? Well, she is desperate to get a taste of a title triumph on this surface. “I just want to get a recent clay title under my belt” – said Coco Gauff. She is handed an arduous draw in Italy. Can she overcome all the hurdles to set up a clash against world no.1 in the SF of the Italian Open?