Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova has commented on American tennis player Coco Gauff’s current coaching situation.
Gauff, who won her first Grand Slam at the US Open last year, and Brad Gilbert, with whom she had spent 14 months together, recently announced their split.
Although Gilbert’s replacement has not yet been revealed, Sharapova is uninterested in the long-term effects it might have on Gauff. The Russian considers her personal experience working with various coaches during her career.
Sharapova said in a recent interview: “I think Coco (Gauff) has an amazing head on her shoulders and knows that there will be changes in her team throughout the years. What you need at a certain point in your career is not what you need later in your career. I was very fortunate with the teams that I had. I still remain very close to all of my coaches. They’re such big team members and they carry so much weight. A team is really important. It takes time to build trust learn from (your team) and accept their advice. But it’s a fun journey.”
The Russian, who is this year’s nominee for the Hall of Fame, talked about her own experience with coaches in the interview, including how she asked her father to resign as her coach in 2008.
She said: “At that point, I had just won my third Grand Slam. Perhaps in a different situation or a different player, that wouldn’t be a time to stop with your coach or your father, but I just wanted to fly on my own. I wanted to figure things out. I was in my early 20s and I just felt ready, even though he still remained a big part of my career.”
Coco Gauff in 2024
Now ranked no.6, the American played her last match on the 1st of September when she lost to world no.8 Emma Navarro 6-3 4-6 6-3 in the 4th round of the U.S. Open (draw).
At present, during this year Gauff has achieved a compiled 41-15 match record. Coco clinched 1 title in Auckland.
Coco Gauff will square off with the world no.209 Sinja Kraus in the . They have never competed against each other till now on the main tour.
The American has won 1 title in 2024 in Auckland.
Gauff won 7 titles in her career: 5 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts and 1 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)