"Everything was perfect" - Coco Gauff's ex-coach Pere Riba opens up on sudden split after US Open glory, says the two tried to 'find a solution'

Coco Gauff’s ex-coach Pere Riba recently opened up about his brief stint with the American and their eventual split.

Riba, a former Spanish tennis player, joined Gauff’s team as her head coach in June 2023, a few months after the American parted ways with her Argentine coach Diego Moyano. Interestingly Riba had also just resigned from his duties as the coach of Chinese No. 1 Zheng Qinwen.

Riba was Gauff’s exclusive coach during the 19-year-old’s grasscourt campaign this season. During the North American hardcourt swing, Coco Gauff added Andre Agassi’s ex-coach Brad Gilbert to her team as well.

The combination of Pere Riba and Gilbert worked wonders for Gauff as she clinched three of her biggest titles - the WTA 500 Citi Open, WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open and the US Open – within a span of just weeks.

However, during the 2023 WTA Finals, the World No. 3 surprised the tennis world by announcing the termination of her partnership with Pere Riba. At the time, Coco Gauff had clarified that it wasn’t her decision.

The Spanish coach appeared on the Functional Tennis Podcast, where he shed light on their collaboration and cited ‘family issues’ as the reason for their spilt.

“Everything was perfect. The situation was that I had some issues in my family. And you know, in that moment, my family needed me. I had to come back. And then, you know, was personal things,” the Spaniard said (26:08). “I felt that I had to be here. For me, it was a difficult situation, tough decision. Both of us, we tried to find a solution, but when these things happen, you cannot control.”

The 35-year-old reiterated that everything was “perfect” during his time as Gauff's coach, hinting that they ended the partnership on good terms.

“But everything was perfect; I enjoyed it a lot. Good results; good improvement. I only can positive things,” he said, adding, “I was living in the States, of course, when this happened. [I just came back to fix things in my family].”

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Just weeks after Coco Gauff split, Pere Riba resumes duties as Zheng Qinwen's coach

Zheng Qinwen is back with her coach Pere Riba after his brief stint with Coco Gauff

On the aforementioned podcast, Pere Riba also stated that he will be enjoying some downtime after splitting with Coco Gauff. He, however, asserted that he is looking to get back to coaching.

“Right now, I am quiet; enjoying the life. Let’s see what is going on,” he said, adding, “I’m gonna be back. At least I am happy because now I can fix the things and spend time with my family. And let’s see what is next. You know, no rush.”

The Spanish coach has wasted no time in accepting a coaching role. On December 3, Riba announced that he has renewed his partnership with his previous charge, Zheng Qinwen, who is based in Spain. Zheng was previously coached by Riba for two years until their split in June 2023.

Interestingly, after initially ending her collaboration with Riba, Zheng Qinwen briefly collaborated with Naomi Osaka’s ex-coach Wim Fisette. The World No. 15, however, indicated that Fisette breached their contract as Naomi Osaka rehired him as her coach ahead of her 2024 comeback.