Coco Gauff’s Ex-Coach Urges Aryna Sabalenka to Make Major Changes To Her Team After WTA Finals Heartbreak: “Hard Questions to Figure Out”
· Yahoo Sports
Coco Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert weighed in on Aryna Sabalenka’s WTA Finals disappointment, urging the Belarusian to make changes to her coaching team. The Belarusian stopped working with Max Mirnyi ahead of the WTA Finals, but is still working with head coach Anton Dubrov and performance coach Jason Stacy.
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Sabalenka’s run at the WTA Finals ended after she lost two of her three round-robin matches. She failed to win a Grand Slam this season and did not lift a title since the Sunshine Double. Sabalenka was also surpassed by Elena Rybakina for the top spot in the world rankings.
Noting Sabalenka’s lackluster run, Gilbert suggested she make changes to her team. He opined that if he were in Sabalenka’s place, he would have promoted Mirnyi as head coach. On the Big T podcast, Gilbert also suggested that she make changes to her serve and forehand.
“I think the biggest thing for this off-season is going to be the serve, and I do feel all of a sudden the forehand, which I do think is her best shot, has been letting her down a lot. I think she might need some changes to her team. I heard she let Max Mirnyi go. I would have promoted him to head coach. She’s got some hard questions to figure out this off-season to start the year very positively because she’s played well Down Under (at the Australian Open) the last few years.”
Sabalenka has won the Australian Open twice, in 2023 and 2024.
Aryna Sabalenka apologizes after video of her comments to fans spreads online
Aryna Sabalenka issued an apology after a video of her comments to fans surfaced online after her WTA Finals loss to Elina Svitolina.
“I want to clarify something from my recent match that has been circulating online.
My comment was not directed at Elina. I was frustrated with a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering my mistakes, and I reacted emotionally in the moment.
That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologise to anyone I offended. Elina played a great match, and I wish her all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
Elina Svitolina, meanwhile, advanced to the final of the year-end event, where she will take on Mirra Andreeva.
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