No, he did not choose Zendaya over me” – Coco Gauff clarifies coach Brad Gilbert’s absence in Stuttgart as he attends ‘Challengers’ premiere in L

her coach Brad Gilbert’s conspicuous absence from her player box at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Following a first-round bye, No. 3 seed Gauff took on compatriot Sachia Vickery in her opening match at the WTA 500 event. The 20-year-old displayed resilience, claiming a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Vickery to advance to the quarterfinals.

Amid the World No. 3’s narrow escape in Stuttgart, her coach Brad Gilbert was attending the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Challengers,’ a tennis-centric movie starring Zendaya. Gilbert, who has previously coached the likes of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, played a significant role in the film’s production, training with the cast for three months.

Following her win, Coco Gauff addressed questions about Brad Gilbert’s absence, humorously dismissing the claim that he chose Zendaya over her.

The American explained that she requested Gilbert to take a “step back” to allow former French tennis player Jean-Christophe Faurel, who had worked with her in 2019, to handle one tournament independently as a recent addition to her coaching setup.

“No, he did not choose Zendaya over me (smiling). I think I kind of told him to take a step back, especially with starting with J.C., I wanted him to just be able to work on it on his own and play a tournament by himself,” Coco Gauff said in her post-match press conference.

“And also, like, we are going to have two tournaments together. We’re going to spend a lot of time together. If you know Brad, it’s good to take a break sometimes,” she added.

Gauff also disclosed that Gilbert will be back in her player box at the Madrid Open, emphasizing that he isn’t meant to accompany her to every tournament but will be present at the “big” events.

“Yeah, he’s supposed to come to Madrid. He’s not here. I think when I started with him, he was never going to be coming to every tournament. Just mainly the big ones, especially in the European part of the swing, I think, most of the time,” she said.

“We started in the U.S. swing, so it was a lot easier for him to travel. Even in Australia, he wasn’t in Auckland. He came to Australia,” she added.

Coco Gauff further divulged that her previous partnership with Jean-Christophe Faurel ended due to visa issues and not by personal choice.

“It always was supposed to be like that. I added J.C. to the team, which I started with him when I was, like, 14 and we ended because he had visa issues, so it was neither of our choices. I thought we were working together well, and the timing worked out,” Coco Gauff said during the same press conference.

The World No. 3 reaffirmed that Brad Gilbert will rejoin them for the Madrid Open and expressed satisfaction with her coaching setup, hoping that it would be a long-lasting arrangement.

“Yeah, that’s the situation for now. He’s supposed to come to Madrid, and then, yeah, that’s how it is (smiling). I’m really happy with it. I think I found the team that I really like right now, and hopefully, it can last long term,” she added.

Coco Gauff will continue her Stuttgart campaign against Marta Kostyuk or Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals.