Tennis News: Maria Sharapova, Coco Gauff and Zhang Shuai

Maria Sharapova might not be playing professional tennis anymore, but she is still an ambassador for the sport and voices her opinions on the current state of tennis often. She has left her racket behind to become a highly successful businessperson, but she has not left the sport behind. Tennis fans are better off for that.

Coco Gauff recently made a change away from coach Brad Gilbert after having a great run in the summer of 2023 that finished with Gauff winning the US Open. She also won several lead-up tournaments before the final Grand Slam of the year. This summer, though, Gauff could not even make it to the quarterfinals at any event after the ecotrans Ladies Open in June.

A change needed to be made and Sharapova, for one, believes Gauff firing Gilbert was the right move. Sharapova also said that the 20-year-old Gauff is far more mature than her age might imply she would be. The Russian said the American understands that coaching changes are just part of the business, as is overcoming adversity.

Coco Gauff gets support from Maria Sharapova and praises Zhang Shuai

Speaking with US Weekly, Sharapova said, "I think Coco has an amazing head on her shoulders and knows that there will be changes in her team throughout the years. What you need at a certain point in your career is not what you need later in your career...It takes time to build trust and learn from (one's team) and accept their advice. But it’s a fun journey."

Another player who has been supportive of Gauff in her career is Zhang Shuai. At the French Open in 2023, Gauff was bounced out of the tournament sooner than expected. Gauff told the media this week at the China Open that Zhang offered words of encouragement to her that stuck with the American and helped her win the US Open.

Gauff said, "(Zhang) said ‘Don’t worry Coco. You will win a Grand Slam. I have so much belief in you. I would bet my life on it.' And then I won US Open! I never told her that, but it stuck with me or a long time, just that she had that belief in me. I think every player on tour likes her so it’s so great to see her win. I love her. She deserves everything."

There was some good news for Zhang this week as well. She had been on a 24-match losing streak, one of the longest in recent tennis history, but she was able to defeat McCartney Kessler in the first round of the China Open.

Gauff said of Zhang's win, "It was tough to see her going through the streak, but honestly through it all you would have never noticed she was going through that. I’ve seen her literally five minutes after matches and she would still say hi to me and be so excited to see me, which, I’m not like that after I lose."

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