Coco Gauff and the quirks of Brad Gilbert: “He's been giving me Jolly Ranchers all the time” 

Coco Gauff is 19 years old, but there are times when she feels like the elder in her collaboration with 62-year-old Brad Gilbert.

The two began working together in Washington, D.C., where the renowned coach joined her refreshed team as a consultant alongside Pere Riba. The Spaniard, who shared with us earlier in the US Open about his experience of coaching the American talent, spoke highly about the team’s energy.

On Sunday, following her fourth-round, three-set win over wild card Caroline Wozniacki, Gauff let the stories flow when talking about the presence Gilbert brings to the group dynamic.

“I was worried about being with the older person, to be honest, before I met Brad. He's older but he still has the mind of, like, a 20-year-old, maybe even younger, a 10-year-old kid sometimes,” the No. 6 seed as laughs in the press room ensued.

The idiosyncrasies of Brad, as told by Coco:

He may not be a rancher, but that doesn’t stop him from being jolly:

“He played pretty much every match with a Jolly Rancher in his mouth. He's been giving me Jolly Ranchers all the time. I take them but I don't eat them. At this point I can't have Jolly Ranchers every five minutes.”

His computer password is more likely to be 1357 than 2468:

“He also doesn't like even numbers. He only likes odd numbers. Whenever he says something, you ask him what time it is, he's going to say 1:53 or 1:59. He won't say 12 or something basic.”

He's pushing for Coco to tap into her older soul:

“He also has been sending me crazy playlists of '60s and '70s bands, but I haven't kept up with it.”

He is the king of Zombieland:

“He doesn't sleep. He wakes up at 3:30 every morning. He was doing this in D.C. He goes for walks.”

For being such “a very quirky man”, the flip side of Gilbert showcases his incredible tennis mind and understanding of the sport’s landscape. It just so happens to come with a Jolly Rancher offer on the side.