Coco Gauff Splits with Coach Brad Gilbert After US Open

Coco Gauff has ended her coaching relationship with Brad Gilbert just two weeks after a “disappointing” defense of her US Open title. The 20-year-old Gauff, who won her first Grand Slam at the US Open last year under Gilbert’s mentorship was eliminated in the fourth round this year by fellow American Emma Navarro. Gilbert a veteran coach who has guided Grand Slam champions such as Andre Agassi, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick acknowledged Gauff’s potential and wished her continued success.

He expressed enthusiasm for the next chapter of his coaching career on X (formerly Twitter). Gauff initially hired Gilbert to work with Spanish coach Pere Riba after a first-round exit at Wimbledon last year. Under their guidance, Gauff experienced a remarkable turnaround winning 18 of her next 19 matches on hard courts which included titles in Washington, Cincinnati and New York.

Her victory at the US Open was a career-best 12th consecutive win. However, Riba left the team in November leaving Gilbert as her sole coach. This year, Gauff has struggled to maintain her form failing to reach a final since defending her Auckland title in January. Despite strong performances at the Australian Open and French Open where she reached the semi-finals, Gauff’s form has faltered with early exits at Wimbledon and the US Open.

Issues with her serve and forehand including 19 double faults against Navarro, raised doubts about her continued collaboration with Gilbert. Gilbert thanked Coco Gauff and her team for a successful summer in 2023 and for their collective efforts over the past 14 months reflecting on their achievements together.