"He gets in there, he gets into their heart & their mind" - Mats Wilander on Coco Gauff working with Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert

Coco Gauff will soon contest the 2023 US Open with Andre Agassi’s ex-coach Brad Gilbert and her new head coach Pere Riba by her side. Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander has now examined how her partnership with Gilbert has been beneficial for the young American.

Gilbert joined Gauff’s coaching team as a consultant when she kicked off the 2023 US Open series at the Citi Open earlier this month. Their collaboration paid dividends straight away as the teenager won the biggest title of her career at the time at the WTA 500 event.

A couple of weeks later, Coco Gauff outdid her best win to clinch her maiden WTA 1000 trophy at the Cincinnati Open. En route to the title triumph, she also recorded her first win in eight matches over World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Mats Wilander credited Brad Gilbert for the American’s renewed success.

"I think the biggest difference with Coco can be left unsaid because I think that Brad Gilbert is a coach who understands what talent looks like," Mats Wilander told Eurosport.

The Swede opined that Coco Gauff has the ‘inner drive’ that Gilbert can pick up on, having previously coached the likes of tennis greats Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, and Andy Roddick.

"Talent doesn't mean a person who has great hands and great anticipation, but it is someone that really has that inner drive. And I think he understands that. He understood it with Andy Murray, even though they most probably didn't break up on great terms,” Wilander noted.

He also touched upon how the American coach expects a 100 percent commitment from his players.

"He gets in there, he gets into their heart and their mind, and he's not going to take no for an answer. If you say no, then he's on to the next person. And I think he did that with Murray. He helped Andy Roddick win the US Open. He helped Andre Agassi come back and win the career Grand Slam. He gets what talent means," he added.

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"He helped Coco Gauff understand that tennis is not where you fight, fight and fight" – Mats Wliander on Andre Agassi ex-coach Brad Gilbert

Brad Gilbert with Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open

Mats Wilander stated that he believes Andre Agassi’s ex-coach Brad Gilbert is improving Coco Gauff’s pressure points skill, which ultimately is the deciding factor in winning matches.

"I think that he has helped her to understand that tennis is not a sport where you just fight and fight and fight and you collect points and you put them in a pile and at the end we count them up. No, that's not tennis, that's basketball. He's understood that tennis is about the big points, what they mean," the seven-time Grand Slam champion noted.

"Coco wants to be a grinder, like an Andy Roddick, like an Andy Murray. She wants to be that person, but it's not enough. You got to turn into someone else when the scoreline means less. And Brad Gilbert is the absolute master at that,” he added.

Since her opening-round defeat to Sofia Kenin at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Coco Gauff has won 11 matches and lost just one – the quarterfinal of the Canadian Open to doubles partner and eventual champion Jessica Pegula.

The 2022 French Open runner-up will look to capitalize on her momentum as she gears up to win her maiden Grand Slam and her sixth career title at the US Open.

Coco Gauff, who defending her US Open quarterfinal appearance from last year, is one of the favorites to win the title, thanks to her recent success.

The World No. 6 is drawn in defending champion Iga Swiatek’s quarter. She will kick off her US Open campaign, facing a qualifier in the opening round.