"Real reason Coco Gauff won US Open. PERE RIBA"; Brad Gilbert took entire credit" - Fans recall Gauff's split with Zheng Qinwen's coach amid poor form

Coco Gauff endured yet another disappointing outing at the Cincinnati Open. The defending champion at the WTA 1000 event was knocked out in the second round by Yulia Putintseva on Thursday, August 15.

Gauff has been plagued by poor form recently, and a few fans online suggested that the World No. 2 was better off with her former coach Pere Riba than her current coach, the iconic Brad Gilbert. Gauff roped Gilbert into her coaching setup ahead of the 2023 US Open. At the time, Riba was her primary coach and Gilbert's inclusion was aimed at reversing Gauff's fortunes after a first-round exit at the Wimbledon Championships.

Gilbert, who previously coached the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, and Andy Roddick, seemingly had an instant impact as Gauff won three out of the four tournaments she participated in during the US Open Series, including the US Open. Not long after, Gauff and Riba announced that they were parting ways, leaving Gilbert in charge.

The World No. 2. Gauff started the 2024 season positively, winning the ASB Classic in Auckland and then following it up with a run to the Australian Open semifinals. However, since then, the reigning US Open champion's season has been turbulent.

Gauff had a forgettable Olympics debut in Paris, losing in the third round, and fell at her first hurdle at both the National Bank Open in Toronto and the ongoing Cincinnati Open. She is also set to officially lose her World No. 2 status following the conclusion of the Cincinnati Open, which will affect her seeding at this year's edition of the US Open, scheduled to start on Monday, August 26.

In light of these developments, a few fans on X (formerly Twitter) opined that it was Pere Riba's work with Gauff that led to her winning the 2023 US Open. Riba is now coaching Zheng Qinwen, who recently won the women's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics and also finished as the runner-up at this year's Australian Open. One fan wrote:

"Pere Riba worked fantastic with her but Brad got all the credit. Too many captains and since Pere Riba left, there has been a change. Its obvious.since he left, her game has not been the same. There is a thing called coach compatibility and right now... something isn't working."

"Needs the team she has when she won Citi, Cinci, and Us Open which was Jamere her hitting partner, Pere Riba- a true coach and a mental coach. Some focus, practice, and a new found hunger for the game. Again, Pere Riba was a great match up for her, him leaving has been a loss," the above fan added in a separate post.

"She’s won ONE title (a 250 in Auckland in Jan) since winning the USO and not another one since. And has not made one final besides that one," another fan wrote.

Another set of fans criticized Gilbert and his "winning ugly" approach, claiming that Riba was a much better fit for Gauff.

"Brad Gilbert has sucked the life right out of her. Something’s got to change. She looks miserable," a fan wrote.

"I still believe that Pere Riba was mainly responsible for the changes in Coco's games that gave her those titles last year. It's a shame that he got pushed out of his role. I think he would have tackled that forehand by now and not try to "win ugly" with it," another fan commented.

"Let's applaud the real reason Coco peaked, won the Cincy and US open.... PERE RIBA. Brad Gilbert took the entire credit for Coco's US Open success. This year Zheng is doing exactly what Coco should have done with Riba," another fan chimed in.

---

"It was not the best match for me" - Coco Gauff on second-round loss to Yulia Putintseva at the Cincinnati Open 2024

Coco Gauff (Source: Getty)

Gauff refused to attend a press conference following her 4-6, 6-2, 4-6 loss to Putintseva in Cincinnati. However, the World No. 2 did talk briefly to the WTA Tour to assess her performance and that of her opponent.

The reigning US Open champion rued her unusually high number of unforced errors (50, inclusive of nine double faults) but credited the Kazakh for mixing things up.

"It was not the best match for me. I made a lot of errors, especially when I was up 4-2 (in the third). I think most of the points she won were off my errors," Gauff said.

If Gauff does manage to defend her US Open title successfully, she will join the likes of Naomi Osaka, Justine Henin, Monica Seles, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, and Chris Evert as women's singles players to have won the prestigious hardcourt Major more than once.