Coco Gauff shares what went wrong with her coaches at Wimbledon as she lost to Emma Navarro

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Coco Gauff looked lost yesterday afternoon, as she was comfortably beaten in straight sets by Emma Navarro.

Dumped out of Wimbledon before she could even get to the quarterfinals, a stage she is yet to reach in SW19, it marked another underwhelming showing after she was really starting to exhibit signs of a potential champion.

However, thwarted by her compatriot and 19th in the world rankings, this has to go down as a missed opportunity.

Gauff was clueless as Navarro lashed ball after ball beyond her, and yet, when she looked to her coaches for counsel, the response she got left her bewildered and frustrated.

Coco Gauff on her coaches at Wimbledon

Speaking to the Wimbledon press after the match, she sought to explain her numerous gestures of discontent throughout the match.

After all, pundit Anne Keothavong pointed out Gauff’s frustration with her coaches, and it was evident to see.

When asked about it, she was upfront and honest, but also highlighted a growing issue within tennis regarding overreliance on outside counsel.

She claimed: ‘We had a game plan going in. I felt that it wasn’t working. I don’t always ask for advice on the box. Today was one of those rare moments where I felt I didn’t have solutions.

‘I don’t want to say I didn’t have any because I think I’m a capable player of coming up with some. I think today mentally there was a lot going on. I felt like I wanted more direction from the box.

‘It’s happened before. I wouldn’t say it’s happened before with the combination of JC and Brad, but it’s happened before in the past where I felt like I needed more direction. They usually give me something.

‘I felt today I don’t think we were all in sync. It’s no one’s blame except myself. I mean, I’m the player out there. I have to make decisions for myself on the court.’

Tennis players need to think for themselves

Whilst coaches have pretty much always been a thing in tennis, their importance and prevalence have actually intensified in recent years.

Many condemn the notion, with Martina Navratilova one vocal critic of over-reliance on coaches, but it is a rule that remains.

However, it has perhaps stolen away some of the individuality of the sport that makes it so unique, as it used to be that when a player stepped out onto the court, it was then just them against their opponent.

Any mid-match changes had to be made by the two playing, and it added another element of intrigue to the sport.

Not only was it a test of physical and technical limits, but also who had the tactical brain to outsmart their competitors too.

Nowadays, it has become more like a team sport at times, with this a perfect example.

Gauff needs to learn to think for herself whilst in moments of crisis like this, rather than look to her box for the answers. They are a useful tool, but as shown yesterday, will not always be there.