Coco Gauff has endured a really tough summer, suffering at Wimbledon, crumbling at the Olympics and failing to defend her US Open title earlier this month.
None of these feats were going to be easy, and the 20-year-old can be forgiven for suffering through a tough run of form.
However, something was bound to give eventually, and that something eventually turned out to be her coach.
Andy Roddick reflects on Coco Gauff and Brad Gilbert’s time together
Reflecting on the news that Coco Gauff had split with Brad Gilbert, Andy Roddick sought to look back on the positive effect of their relationship rather than the negative ending it endured.
After all, regardless of what occurred, winning a US Open title was enough to make any partnership worthwhile.
He reflected on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast: ‘I wasn’t surprised by it. One, I think we need to realise what happened. We often forget in telling stories about Coco’s year this year and how maybe Wimbledon, the US Open might not have gone the way she wanted them to. The way you lose a match with 11 doubles in the third set, the whole thing just kind of makes it a little weirder.
‘But we conveniently forget that she lost the first round last year at Wimbledon, she was in a tailspin before her and Brad got together.
‘So, to kind of remedy that and in two, three months have a life-changing win at the US Open, regardless what happens after that. I guarantee you give both of them exactly what happened and they’d say hey listen, even if we’re washing our hands of it, this is a ten out of ten.
‘We brought you on, a jolt of energy, perspective, and we won a major. And I’m 20 years old still. It just worked.’
Where does Coco Gauff go from here?
Well, given the timing of this split, Coco Gauff is blessed. Time is on her side.
After all, she has already fallen to sixth in the world, but boasts a healthy rankings lead over the rest of the travelling pack.
And, with the final Grand Slam of 2024 having concluded, there is now a healthy three-month break before a return to Melbourne beckons.
She will not want to rush into her next decision regarding a new coach, mainly because her level has been good enough even with the struggles she endured with Gilbert across the last few months.
Gauff can compete regardless of who is in her corner, so it makes sense to think long and hard about this next move.
Then, when she does pull the trigger, she has this portion of the season to train in a new way, hopefully ready to shine when the next Grand Slam comes around.
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