Coco Gauff's coach has said that many do not realize how hard it is to fix the shot of a player, such as Gauff's forehand.
Gilbert became Gauff's coach after Wimbledon last year. The partnership quickly became a stunning success, with Gauff winning her first WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati and her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open soon after.
The veteran coach will have gotten to know the 20-year-old very well. For instance, Gilbert is undoubtedly aware of Gauff's interesting pre-match ritual and not to disturb this routine that she does.
Another player Gilbert has coached in the past is Andy Roddick. He recently appeared on Roddick's podcast and spoke about a wide number of topics, but one of them was calls for him to change Gauff's forehand.
Gilbert feels people do not realize how hard making a big adjustment can be for a player. He also believes that the possibility of a shot actually getting worse after a change is made is not given enough consideration.
"I think sometimes people think and even club players think it's so easy to fix something like that. And my first thought is, what happens if you fix it and it doesn't get better? What happens if you make a change and it doesn't get better?"
The 62-year-old then delved deeper on the possible effect of a grip change, as well as how adapting a shot can also be mentally difficult for players who have become accustomed to a certain method.
"And when you change the grip, you have to completely change the arc of a swing. What does that do to the arm? So, there's more factors in making a change. And probably more than anything, mentally it's not as easy as people think, because they think 'you're a pro. Boom. You can do that."
Gilbert finished the point by citing how players like Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi are and were comfortable tinkering with their games, but not all players are like that. Interestingly, Gauff recently said that Nadal was her dream mixed doubles partner.
"Not everybody is like Rafa that can make changes all the time. Andre was another one that liked to tinker all the time but not all players are like that."
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