After working together for more than a year and winning one Grand Slam championship, Coco Gauff and coach Brad Gilbert part ways.
Under the guidance of Gilbert and Pere Riba, Gauff’s success truly took off following his Wimbledon first-round elimination in the previous season.
After more than a year and one Grand Slam championship together, Coco Gauff and coach Brad Gilbert called it quits in separate social media postings.
The two-and-a-half-week separation between them occurs when Gauff’s attempt to retain her 2023 title at the U.S. Open collapsed due to 19 double faults in a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 defeat to Emma Navarro in the Flushing Meadows fourth round.
That September 1 defeat was the most recent in a string of unsatisfactory performances in recent months for American 20-year-old Gauff, who fell from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings.
Under the guidance of Gilbert and Pere Riba, Gauff’s success truly took off following his Wimbledon first-round elimination in the previous season. This year, Riba wasn’t with her.
While still a teenager, Gauff went 22-1 in 2023, winning titles in Washington, Cincinnati, and the U.S. Open – her first big event victory.
Gilbert thanked Gauff “and the entire team for an absolutely amazing summer run in 2023 and for 14 months of incredible team effort” in a social media message on Wednesday.
“Coco, you have an incredibly bright future at just 20 years old, and I wish you nothing but continued success ahead,” wrote Gilbert, a former professional who has previously worked with stars like Andy Murray, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick. “I’m looking forward to the next phase of my coaching career.”
Gauff praised Gilbert in a message on Wednesday and said, “We had an incredible run and I wish you all the best in the future.”
Gauff also had semifinal appearances during their stay, falling to the eventual champions in both the French Open in June and the Australian Open in January.
