American tennis legend Chris Evert recently weighed in on the blunt remarks made by WTA star Danielle Collins and former World No. 9 CoCo Vandeweghe, who questioned tennis coaches for taking excessive credit for players’ performances and possessing inflated egos.
Notably, Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, was closely following the exchange and humorously remarked that he felt as though the comments might apply to him.
Chris Evert Reacts As Danielle Collins and Former Pro Subtly Target Coco Gauff’s Ex-Coach
Recently, World No. 78 Collins joined Vandeweghe and Gilbert on Tennis Channel’s Big T podcast, where the trio delved into a range of topics, including the role of coaches on tour. During the discussion, the two WTA stars were particularly candid, with Collins describing coaches’ inflated egos as one of her biggest “pet peeves.”
“One of my pet peeves, I think the coaches are getting way too big of egos and they don’t know what to do with themselves,” she said.
Vandeweghe then stressed that matches are decided by players, not coaches, arguing that coaches receive excessive credit and attention even when they do not execute shots on court. The 34-year-old also playfully addressed Brad Gilbert during her remarks.
“It’s the player that’s playing, the player is going to win. The player is going to lose. Coach gets way too much credit and too much notoriety. I could care less about a coach. Sorry coach BG, like you didn’t take the racket and execute the forehand or the backhand,” Vandeweghe said.
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Collins agreed with Vandeweghe, arguing that some coaches have inflated egos and criticizing social media posts where they describe a player’s victory as a shared achievement rather than individual success.
“I am with you CoCo. I think these coaches have way too big of egos. I am sick of the Instagram posts and social media posts where these coaches refer to the players’ result or win as a “we” experience,” Collins chimed in.
During the discussion, former World No. 4 Brad Gilbert appeared taken aback and joked that he felt he was on the receiving end of the remarks. He said, “Ouch! I feel like I’m getting darts at me.”
The discussion drew widespread attention, with former World No. 1 and 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert also weighing in. While she agreed with Collins and Vandeweghe’s stance, she lightheartedly expressed sympathy for Gilbert.
“Wow…poor Brad! But I kinda agree,” she commented.
Beyond his own accomplishments on tour, Brad Gilbert also built a notable chapter as a coach, also guiding World No. 5 Coco Gauff.
The pair ended their partnership in September 2024 after a productive 14-month stint, highlighted by Gauff’s first Grand Slam triumph at the 2023 US Open.
