American teen tennis sensation, Coco Gauff, has recently announced that she has parted ways with her coach Pere Riba, after five months of partnership.
The 19-year-old American, who achieved a career-high ranking of No.3 after winning the US Open, expressed her regret over the decision, saying “Unfortunately it wasn’t my decision, but we had to end the partnership. Some things just didn’t work out. That’s all.”
Nevertheless, Gauff expressed her gratitude towards Riba, saying that he did some amazing things for her and her game.
Pere Riba joined Gauff’s coaching team in June 2023, ahead of the Eastbourne International tournament, and helped her win the Citi Open in Washington, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open.
However, after the split with Riba, Gauff will now be working alongside Brad Gilbert, a renowned American coach who has previously worked with tennis legends like Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray.
Brad Gilbert, who is also a tennis commentator and analyst for ESPN, is expected to bring his wealth of experience and expertise to the table and help Gauff take her game to the next level.
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“I coach from my gut. I coach from feel,” said Gilbert after Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka to win the US Open.
“But there are a lot of things I learn when I watch matches. And players adjust. Those are some of the things the analytics don’t tell you. They give you all this data, but they don’t factor in a player’s strengths and weaknesses. And that the other player might do something different, other than what the data says.”
Despite the split with Riba, Gauff remains optimistic about her future and is looking forward to working with Gilbert, who she believes is a great coach.
With Gilbert’s guidance, Gauff is expected to continue her meteoric rise in the world of tennis and become one of the sport’s all-time greats.
