The coaching box for a tennis player is the most important aspect of their gameplay, but it matters only off-court. On the court, it’s just the player who shows their talent to advance to the next round and lift the title. However, something happened very recently involving Coco Gauff’s coaching box in Madrid that has caught everyone’s attention.
Sorana Cîrstea Not Happy With Coco Gauff’s Vocal Coaching Box at the Madrid Open
Gauff is one of the biggest names in women’s tennis and is currently the top-ranked American. Whenever she sets foot on court, the entire world watches the two-time Grand Slam champion conquer her opponents. Interestingly, this time, her coaching box is also making headlines.
At the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, Gauff entered the tournament as the third seed, receiving a first-round bye. After beating Leolia Jeanjean, she faced Romanian Cîrstea in the third round at Manolo Santana Stadium on Sunday, April 26.
During the changeover at 4-3 in the very first set of the match, the 25th seed went towards the umpire to complain about the vocal responses from Gauff’s coaching box. She mentioned the shouts, such as “Come on, forehand, backhand, first serve,” while saying, “They are bothering me because they are screaming in my ears.”
Sorana Cirstea complaining to the umpire Kader Nouni about Coco Gauff’s coaching box in Madrid pic.twitter.com/XpKB9QDfIb
— 🎾nebby🎾 (@1gamesetmatch) April 26, 2026
She mentioned “sportsmanship” before taking her place at the court’s baseline, but the message was clear: the Romanian wasn’t going to let it distract her from the match. Cîrstea is known for her vocal nature; she often does not tolerate such behavior, which distracts her from the match.
MORE: Coco Gauff After Distressful Madrid Open Match: ‘I Was Trying Not To Throw Up on Court’
This was shown at the beginning of the season in Melbourne Park when she faced the four-time Grand Slam Champion Naomi Osaka in the second round. The Romanian wasn’t happy with the Japanese shouting “Come on!” between serves and took it to the chair umpire. This led to a frosty handshake at the net between these two players after Osaka reached the third round, but it was later cleared as “no drama” by both.
Gauff Reaches Madrid Open Fourth Round
After this incident, Cîrstea served out the set 6-4 to take the upper hand in the match. However, that didn’t stop Gauff from fighting back and mounting an impressive comeback, winning four of the last five points in the second set to level the match at 4-6, 7-5.
Gauff, who was struggling with illness, dominated the decider from the beginning, leaving Cîrstea looking for answers. After holding her serve in the second game, she was broken twice in a row, allowing Gauff to secure the set 6-1 and win the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
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The 25th seed struggled with her serves, landing just around 50% of her first serves while winning less than 50% of points on those. On the other hand, Gauff had a whopping 72% first serve percentage, winning nearly 50% of those points while committing six double-faults in the entire match.
With this win, she has now reached the fourth round of the tournament, where she faces the Czech star Linda Nosková. PFSN’s exclusive interactive simulator predicts a 69% chance of the American reaching the quarterfinal.
