Few could believe their eyes on Sunday, whilst watching Coco Gauff put in such an uninspiring performance as she exited Wimbledon.
Losing to fellow American Emma Navarro, the world number two was brilliantly neutralised by her opponent, but did little to help herself either.
Often she was pictured looking over to her box, bewildered, before Gauff questioned her coaches in her post-match interview.
Brad Gilbert, part of that coaching staff, has since come out in defence of his student.
Brad Gilbert clashes with Chris Evert over Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon exit
Speaking to ESPN after Gauff was defeated, Chris Evert gave her reasons for why she thought her compatriot looked so flat.
She noted: ‘I was commentating on the match and I think what Navarro did was she started stepping in and she was closing on the baseline and really dictating the points.
’I just think… I think with Coco the pressure of… you know, she was the number one now [after everyone else had been knocked out]. She was the oddsmaker. She was supposed to win this tournament after Iga went out and I think that pressure.
‘And I think playing an American player. I mean, I can’t stress that enough. I don’t know how you felt playing other American players [to McEnroe], Jimmy Connors, but I just felt more pressure when I had to play other American players and I think Coco felt that.’
However, Gilbert, her coach, refuted that notion: ‘Coco was only thinking about this match. You don’t think about yourself being the favourite.
‘But I go back to her opponent. I have to give her full credit because she played a great match and Coco needed to play at a higher level.’
This came just before Brad Gilbert and John McEnroe also clashed over Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon exit.
Coco Gauff now has a US Open title to defend
Whilst this is a hugely disappointing way to exit Wimbledon, and when the draw is so open too, Gauff has more pressing matters ahead.
After all, she is set to headline the USA’s Olympic tennis team, as the highest-ranked member for both the men and the women.
That is a lot of pressure as she returns to the clay courts, before the 20-year-old then has a US Open title to defend.
These next few months will be huge for Gauff’s career, despite only being so young, and they could make or break her season.
A win at Wimbledon, which would certainly have been possible as the competition has withered the deeper it has gone on, would have alleviated that pressure tenfold.
Gilbert has a lot to work on with his young protegee.
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