Nick Kyrgios wants to return to tennis, but not in the way people might think.
The former 2022 Wimbledon finalist and current tennis announcer may be seeking a new job as Coco Gauff's coach.
Kyrgios offered his support to Navarro after the 2023 U.S. Open champion lost 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to fellow American Emma Navarro in the fourth round, missing out on the quarterfinals because of Navarro again, just like she did at Wimbledon.
Kyrgios has also become known for his bad-boy behavior on the court, swearing at umpires, spitting at fans and occasionally making obscene gestures, but he has also risen to as high as 11th in the world rankings in 2022.
Kyrgios' offer also comes at a time when Gauff's current coach, Brad Gilbert, is facing intense criticism over the continued partnership following yet another early Grand Slam exit.
Gilbert has previously coached Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, but fans are urging the young American to sever ties with his coach.
“Honest advice to @CocoGauff is to fire @bgtennisnation. He became Gauff's head coach in Nov 2023 but her game has regressed since then. Brad loves himself more than anyone but that doesn't work if you're the head coach.” A tennis blogger posted on X.
On the same post, a fan commented that Kyrgios should partner her, to which he replied: “I'll coach her.”
Even Renae Stubbs, the former coach of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, chimed in about Gauff's “bad” technique in front of Gilbert in an interview with ESPN.
“Where's Coco's confidence?” Stubbs asked Sportskeeda. “She doesn't have a second serve, that's a sign, that's the problem.”
“So under pressure, bad technique falls apart, and her technique is… It's hard for Brad to say [Gilbert] “She's sitting here … but her technique, her elbows are too low, her grip is a little bit weird,” she continued, “so it's hard for her to have that great first serve and then have the same or a similar second serve.”
The 20-year-old Gauff hadn't played well on hard courts before the Open and continued to struggle with her service games in Flushing, failing to show any significant improvement.
Gauff's frustration was evident during her fourth-round match, as she repeatedly looked up at her box and said, “Say something!”
Against Navarro, she made 60 unforced errors and 19 double faults.
