“Did not make an effort to clean it up”: Coco Gauff’s junior coach says future coaches took eye off her forehand issue
Coco Gauff’s Former Junior Coach Weighs in on Her Forehand Issue
Coco Gauff is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but her forehand has long been a topic of discussion. While her game is packed with strengths, her forehand inconsistency has been a source of unforced errors. According to her former junior coach, Sly Large, the issue could have been addressed earlier but was neglected as she rose through the ranks.
Large, who coached Gauff during her junior years, believes that when she transitioned to Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy, the technical flaw in her forehand was overlooked.
“Somewhere between 13 and when she went to [Patrick] Mouratoglou, she developed a little hitch in her forehand,” Large explained. “For four years, we never took our eyes off her forehand. It was always a work in progress.”
He speculated that once Gauff became the world’s No. 1 junior at 13, coaches may have assumed everything was fine and stopped focusing on refining her strokes.
“When she was 15 or 16, I noticed the hitch in her forehand. What surprised me was that even when new coaches saw it, they didn’t make an effort to fix it because she was still winning.”
Criticism of Brad Gilbert’s Approach
Large also expressed disappointment with Brad Gilbert, one of Gauff’s current coaches, for not making adjustments to her forehand.
“Brad Gilbert is a very good coach, but when I heard him say they weren’t going to change anything about her forehand, I was shocked.”
He pointed out that great players like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal continuously worked on their games, even into their 30s, and believes Gauff should take a similar approach.
“If they just spent a couple of months making the tweak, it could make a huge difference. That’s what separates the men’s game—constant improvement.”
While Gauff has already achieved tremendous success, the lingering forehand issue remains a question mark in her game. Whether she and her team will address it moving forward could be key to her long-term dominance.
