Coco Gauff's former coach holds opposing view on 'stupid' format that could wreck WTA Finals chances

Coco Gauff's comments over a possible change in format to the WTA Finals have caused a lot of discussion and debacle. Her former coach, Brad Gilbert, has gone against her former pupil this time round after the two-time Grand Slam champion was left in peril after her latest defeat.

The 2024 champion began with a thrilling three-set victory against fellow countrywoman Jessica Pegula and put herself in a brilliant position to qualify for the knockout stages. However, a 6-3, 6-3 loss to a stunning Linda Noskova has put her on the back foot.

She currently sits third in Group A, trailing the already qualified Noskova and Pegula in second, leading due to the number of sets won. Even if both players win their final matches in the round robin phase, it could spell doom for Gauff, who is staring down the barrel of consecutive early exits.

Gauff is not a fan of this format due to this. From her perspective, winning two of your three group matches and still not qualifying for the semi-finals does not sit right with her. While explaining her displeasure, she also hinted that change is on the horizon.

“The scenarios, I know they make sense, but they’re kinda stupid. I know it’s like the point thing, all of the sets and all of that,” she told Christian's Court after the loss against Noskova.

“But it’s like I’m just trying to win a match and if I win my match [Thursday] and I still don’t qualify, I’m like, ‘It’s okay, it’s cool.’ I’m looking forward to next year. I can’t say much, but everybody knows that has to change.”

Speaking on the Big T podcast alongside fellow host Andrea Petkovic, Gilbert outlined the position Gauff was in. "It comes down to the set ratio. Let's say Coco wins in straight sets against Marta. The best she could finish with would be four sets won and three lost," he commented.

"If Jessica wins in straight sets, she'd have five sets won and two lost. If she wins in three sets, she'd have five won and three lost. Either way, that's a better set ratio. So Coco no longer controls her own destiny when it comes to reaching the semi-finals."

"She should have won a set today for it to be even," Petkovic responded. Gilbert reminisced on the first match against Pegula, in which Gauff wasted a match point to win it in straight sets. "Or she needed to take that match point in the second set."

The German highlighted how the slimmest of margins could prove fatal. "You see, that's what's so beautiful about the group stages. We have them so rarely in tennis, but when you look back, it could be that one point that makes the difference."

In contrast to what Gauff stated, Gilbert completely disagreed with that take, siding with the current group stages that is in place. "Are you ready for this? I'd actually like to see, because we've gone to these crazy 12-day tournaments at all these Masters events, at least one of them use this format," he said. Petkovic completely agreed.

"Me too. I agree with you. The reason I say that is tennis is such a brutal sport in so many ways. It's the longest season in sport. It starts on January 1, and look at us now – November 10 – and we're still going.

"At the same time, when you play each week, the moment you lose, you go home. I know for myself personally, the worst moment emotionally, the most depressing moment, was when you went to a two-week tournament – let's say Indian Wells – with three suitcases, ready to go, and then you lose in the first round. You go home and unpack straight from your suitcase into the wardrobe because you haven't worn a single outfit that you packed."

Gilbert coached Gauff between July 2023 and September 2024, for a period of 14 months. These days, he is on pundit duty watching on as his former prodigy continues to challenge for the biggest titles. He analysed what went wrong against Noskova.

"I thought she served aggressively and played off the first ball. I thought she hurt Coco a lot, and she did well in the backhand-to-backhand exchanges," he dissected. "I also felt that her return was a little like Aryna Sabalenka's: return plus one, serve plus one. After the first return, especially on the second-serve points, she was taking the lead. She wasn't content to let Coco get into the rallies. They had very few rallies of 10 or 15 shots."

Petkovic, who watched the match courtside, admitted that Gauff was seemingly not at her best. "That's very true. I think Coco also had an off day. I don't know if it was her back – I thought I noticed something – but sometimes you wake up and have a terrible day, and it looked like that for Coco today.

"Her footwork was a little off. She didn't have the right distance to the ball a lot of the time. With those flat, quick balls that Linda Noskova hits, it's difficult when your footwork isn't 100 per cent sharp. I hope it's not her back, because I don't think that's something that's easy to bounce back from at the end of the season. But she still has a chance to go further."

She continued by joking that rapper Gunna could re-emerge and support Gauff on court. The World No.4 had appeared in one of his recent music videos. "Maybe Gunna will come back, because Coco was in his music video, right?" Petkovic said.

Immediately, both were lost with their music knowledge not extending to that genre. "Who's that?" Gilbert questioned. "I'm not great with rap music, Brad," Petkovic answered. "I don't know. You're not either. You like a guitar and a drum set?"

The 65-year-old was not in touch with the rap music of today, but that was not the only genre he was in the dark on. "Okay. And if you start asking me about that Euro techno music, or elevator music, I'm out!"

Gauff will step onto the court first against the already eliminated Marta Kostyuk. If she wins, it will be a nervy wait to see if Pegula slips up against Noskova to complete Group A.