Coco Gauff has recently found a revived spirit and has changed the track of her current season. Entering the season ranked 6, the American player suffered several upsetting defeats, which dimmed her confidence. But now, after two title wins in the American hard-court season, fans have new expectations from her. The impact has largely come due to her coach, Pere Riba, who has changed the way Gauff approaches the game.

Joined by the former coach of Andy Roddick, Brad Gilbert, the two will now step into the US Open to see just how much the player has improved. 

Pere Riba’s Tennis Pedigree: Who has Pere Riba coached?

The Journey from Player to Coach

Pere Riba Madrid is a former player and tennis instructor from Spain. He has reached world No. 65 in singles and No. 81 in doubles. Riba won 21 titles in singles and doubles throughout the course of his 16-year career. The Spaniard has taught and collaborated with various WTA Tour players since his retirement, notably Zheng Qinwen, Arantxa Rus, and now Coco Gauff.

Riba had a long career after he turned pro in 2004. He has travelled the world for several tournaments and played for as long as he could. He has gained much experience throughout his time traveling the world, which came in handy as he transitioned into a coach.

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Building a Coaching Career

At one point in his career, he was the youngest Spaniard in the top 100, but injuries (resulting in hip surgery) dropped him to 843 in early 2013. It harmed his competitive ability, and after a few years of hardship, he became a coach. He co-founded the ELITE TENNIS TEAM in Barcelona (Club Tennis Els Gorchs) with Julián Alonso, focused on youth development and professional tennis players like Zheng and Rus.

The Gauff-Riba Connection–Is Brad Gilbert Coco Gauff’s coach?

Meeting of Minds

Riba and Gauff first joined forces ahead of the 2023 Eastbourne International. According to the tennis pro, the young prodigy appeared arrogant when they first met because he knew nothing about her.

“I don’t know; the few times I’d seen her, she always went to her ball and hardly spoke, so I thought she would have a totally different character. We laughed a lot because she confessed to me that she thought exactly the same about me (laughs),” Riba said. 

However, now that Riba has had sufficient interaction with the young star, his opinion of her has drastically changed. He now regards her as a humble and smart human being.

Fostering Development and Growth

As per the Spanish coach, the current world No.6 is very industrious and humble, and he only had kind comments for her. He also appreciated how attentive she was to everyone and how she was always ready to sign autographs. Riba came to the conclusion that he now knows why everyone adores the youngster so much. While Riba is the leading coach of the American sensation, there is another great tennis personality scaffolding the team.

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During the Citi DC Open, Gauff revealed her coaching structure. Her head coach is Pere Riba, whom she signed before Wimbledon. Brad Gilbert is assisting her as a consultant for the time being. In terms of Gilbert, Gauff is enjoying and benefiting from the former World No.4’s company, and the two have continued to train together as the US Open approached.

Gauff’s Rise to Stardom

The Coach Behind the Scenes

The facts don’t lie, and it appears like Coco Gauff made the right decision in hiring the Catalan coach Pere Riba before Wimbledon. The American, who won the Washington Open at the start of the American hard court season, added to her victory in the National Bank Open. Gauff defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in the semifinals for the first time. Then, in the final, she defeated this year’s Roland Garros finalist, Karolina Muchova, 6-3 6-4, to win her maiden WTA 1000 championship.

During the Citi Open stint, Gauff told reporters that she loved the chemistry she had with Riba. The fact that the two had clicked together made Gauff quite happy, as she had been struggling with her form for much of this season. The drills and advice of Riba to improve Gauff have worked wonders, and she now enters the US Open as one of the big favourites to win.

Shaping the Future

Since the Spanish coach and Gauff teamed up, they have changed the course of the season. On her singles tour, Gauff was not faring well, but with Riba’s intervention, she stands in a much better position. With him, she won her fourth WTA 500 and her first 1000 title, even defeating the world number 1. 

The conditions of Riba’s partnership with Gauff have not changed since they joined hands. He is still her temporary coach, and his status will depend on the results of the player in the US Open. Although she has quite a lot of competition ahead of her, Gauff’s current performance indicates a good run.

The two, along with the former coach of Andre Agassi, seem like a dream team in the American slam. Now, we only have to wait to see how far Gauff will go under their guidance.

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