"Not everybody is like Rafael Nadal that can make changes; Andre Agassi was another" - Coco Gauff's coach on persistent calls to 'fix' her forehand
Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert has outlined his objections to the persistent suggestions to fix her forehand, drawing a contrast to Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi.
Gilbert, who previously coached the likes of Agassi and Andy Roddick, began working with Gauff at the Citi Open in August 2023. Their partnership yielded immediate success.
The American won her maiden WTA 500 title at the event in Washington, followed by her first WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open. She concluded her remarkable year by clinching her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.
While the World No. 3 has established herself as one of the most formidable players on tour, her forehand has consistently drawn attention as an area of improvement.
On the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, Gilbert acknowledged the same, conceding that there are parts of Coco Gauff's game that need to be refined.
"I think, more importantly, at any age, especially when you’re young, it’s more about understanding what your goals are to get better.
"It’s too easy to say I want to win xyz. Everybody does, but there’s parts of her (Coco Gauff's) game that she definitely needs to work with," he said (at 1:27:05).
Gilbert also revealed that, since becoming Gauff's coach, he has been inundated by calls to "fix" her forehand and grip. However, the 62-year-old shed light on the complexities involved in making such changes to a player's game, citing both physical and mental challenges.
"I’ve never got so many texts in my life as I got once I started coaching her that instantly everything is about, ‘Fix your forehand. Fix your grip.’ I think sometimes people think and even club players think it’s so easy to fix something like that. And my first thought is, what happens if you fix it and it doesn’t get better? What happens if you make a change and it doesn’t get better? " Gilbert said.
"And then when you change the grip, you have to completely change the arc of a swing. What does that do to the arm? So, there’s more factors in making a change. And probably more than anything, mentally it’s not as easy as people think because they think, 'You’re a pro. Boom, you can do that,'" he added.
Gilbert also asserted that while players like Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi could make regular changes to their games, not all players have the ability to do the same.
"Not everybody is like Rafa that can make changes all the time. Andre was another one that liked to tinker all the time but not all players are like that," he said.
"I think you were the perfect guy for that job" - Andy Roddick hails Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert for role in Gauff's US Open 2023 triumph
Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2023 US Open final to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
During the aforementioned podcast, Andy Roddick revealed that Gauff's triumph at the New York Major evoked an emotional response from him.
"She wins the US open, and I'm like emotional. I haven't been that emotional watching a tennis match in a very long time.
"I text you congrats, and I remember one of my favorite kind of 45 minutes moments was you saying, 'Hey you know this is just crazy,'" he said (at 1:25:05).
Roddick also expressed his belief that Brad Gilbert is the "perfect" person to guide the World No. 3 to her first Major win.
"I think you were like the perfect guy for that job at that moment," he said.
Coco Gauff is competing at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, where she reached the quarterfinals with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over Elise Mertens. She next takes on Yue Yuan for a place in the semifinal.