What happened between Coco Gauff and her coach Brad Gilbert during controversial Wimbledon 4R exit? All you need to know
The 2024 Wimbledon Championships saw a massive upset when World No. 2 Coco Gauff was defeated by compatriot Emma Navarro in straight sets in the fourth round. Navarro is now set to face Jasmine Paolini for a semifinal berth at this year's grasscourt Major.
The visible communication breakdown between Gauff and her coaching staff during the match also grabbed headlines. Gauff looked at her player's box but did not receive the feedback she was hoping for several times during the match
In her post-match press conference, the young American stated that she and her team had a bad day as they were not on the same page. However Gauff took responsibility for her loss saying that she was the one playing on the court and therefore the onus was on her.
"I felt as today, I don’t think we were all in sync, but it’s no one’s blame except myself. I’m the player out there, I have to make decisions about myself on the court," Gauff siad in her post match press conference.
Gauff played an error-ridden match against Navarro. She made 15 unforced errors in the second set alone and had a first-serve percentage of only 54%. The American player's forehand completely fell off, giving the advantage to her opponent.
Gauff was visibly frustrated with her coach during her 4R match
As the match against Navarro progressed, Gauff could not keep a check on her emotions. As more and more unforced errors came from her racquet, and Navarro seemed to run away with the match, Gauuf's frustration boiled over at her coach Brad Gilbert.
"Tell me something, you're not saying anything," Gauff addressed her coach during the match.
Fans of the tennis community were not impressed with the American's on-court behavior and decided to call her out on it.
Gauff's overall body language in the entire match seemed fairly pessimistic with the player refraining from playing her usual brand of aggressive tennis.
Wimbledon remains the only Major where Coco Gauff is yet to reach the quarterfinals
After her loss to Emma Navarro, Gauff's record at Wimbledon stands at 11-5 with a win percentage of 69%. This ratio is the lowest for the American among the four Majors. The grasscourt Slam remains the only one where she has yet to reach the quarterfinals.
As far as the others are concerned, Gauff is the defending champion at the US Open, having clinched the title last year with a win over Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Gauff also had her best run at the Australian Open this year when she reached the semifinals, this time losing to Sabalenka.
Further, statistically, the French Open is Gauff's best Major. She has a 20-5 record at Roland Garros with a win percentage of 80%. Her best performance on the Parisian clay came in 2022 when she reached the final, losing to Iga Swiatek.