Coco Gauff's ex-coach Brad Gilbert makes surprising suggestion for Indian Wells after Alexander Zverev's exit

Coco Gauff's former coach Brad Gilbert recently dropped an innovative idea for the ongoing BNP Paribas Open. He considered frequent occurrences of third set breakers at Indian Wells Masters, and said it wouldn't be surprising to see authorities opt to use a similar approach as Grand Slam events.

The Round of 64 matches at the BNP Paribas Open kicked off on the 7th of March. In just two days after the top-ranked players began their campaigns, fans saw more than 2 matches that ended up with a third set tie-breaker. A perfect example of it was seen during the showdown between Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor. The Dutch defeated top-seeded Zverev with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).

In light of this, Coco Gauff's ex-coach Brad Gilbert gave his candid take on this happening. He pointed the third set breakers at Indian Wells on the Day 2 of action in California. However, the twist came when he mentioned how it wouldn't be a surprise if the events adapt the 10-point tiebreaker like the Grand Slam events.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday to give his thoughts, Gilbert wrote:

"Kinda thinking 🧐 all these 3rd set breakers in the desert 🌵@BNPPARIBASOPEN! I wouldn’t mine seeing a 10 point breaker in final sets like we do in slams."

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff is also set to begin her anticipated run at Indian Wells against Moyuka Uchijima. The 2023 US Open champion will look to bounce back after disappointing early exits at Dubai and Qatar last month.

---

Coco Gauff's ex-coach Brad Gilbert predicts bright future for Ben Shelton: "I like his potential"

Brad Gilbert at the BNP Paribas Open 2024 - Day 13 - Source: Getty

After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, Ben Shelton faced early exits in Dallas and Mexico. However, amid Shelton's inconsistent season, Coco Gauff's ex-coach remains optimistic about the 22-year-old's future.

In a recent conversation with Vogue, the renowned mentor and analyst dropped a confident vote of Shelton breaking into the top 10 of the ATP rankings.

"Could he be top 10? Sure – I mean, he could be top five. I like his size, his movement; he’s got a wicked serve, obviously; and I like his potential – he’s also just really fun to watch. The big thing for him moving forward is improving his return game," Gilbert said (as quoted by TennisGazette).

After his defeat against David Goffin at the Mexican Open last week, Ben Shelton is set to start his campaign at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, facing off Mariano Navone.