It's Time for Coco Gauff to Fire Her Coach

Why Coco Gauff should fire her tennis coach after losing to Diana Shnaider.

Coco Gauff was upset by Diana Shnaider. / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Any lingering doubt about whether Coco Gauff should make a coaching change was extinguished on Friday night. Gauff lost a lopsided match in straight sets to Diana Shnaider at the Canadian Open: 6-4, 6-1.

Gauff gave up 42 unforced errors to lose to a player younger than her for the first time in her career. Shnaider has been on the tour for a little more than one year, and it was her first top-10 victory and first time advancing to the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament.

SHNAIDER SHOCKS THE NO. 1 SEED 🤯

Diana Shnaider upsets Coco Gauff with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.#NBO24 pic.twitter.com/6I9rxUfgX4

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 10, 2024

After the match, Gauff said, "I think she kind of knew to just stay steady because I was giving her a lot of errors. She normally hits big when I see her play, but I think today I was just giving her too many errors, so it wasn't necessary for her to do that."

Gauff ended on a pessimistic note, "I think overall, there [was] no part of my game that I felt comfortable in today."

And for that reason, Gauff needs to make a coaching change. Since winning the US Open last September, Gauff has been inconsistent on the court. Even worse, she appears to be lacking her usual confidence and poise.

Breaking down what happened with Coco tonight 👇#NBO24 pic.twitter.com/5C8uK0Va8Z

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 10, 2024

It has been a disappointing year for the 20-year-old. Gauff yelled at her coach, Brad Gilbert, during her upset loss to Emma Navarro upset in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

A few weeks later, Gauff lost in the third round of the Olympics to Donna Vekić in straight sets. Yesterday's ugly loss should be the final nail in the coffin for Gilbert's tenure as Gauff's coach.

Players fire coaches all the time. Just this year, Frances Tiafoe has shaken up his coaching staff. Just yesterday, Stefanos Tsitsipas fired his dad after a shocking loss at the Canadian Open.

Gauff's generation is full of talented players, and few have a higher ceiling than her. However, she cannot keep going at this rate with Gilbert. Time and timing are the most valuable resources in tennis.

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Further Reading: Emma Navarro and Qinwen Zheng exchanged trash-talk after their match.