Coach Rick Macci says there are only one Serena Williams and Venus Williams but adds that Coco Gauff is “cut from the same cloth” as her idols.
During their prime years, the Williams sisters had the reputation of coming up big when needed the most. Now, their childhood coach sees something similar with the current top-ranked American female tennis player.
On Saturday, Gauff had her back turned against the wall multiple times in the WTA Finals final against Zheng Qinwen. After losing the first set, she was also down by a break in the second set and three games away from losing the Riyadh final in two sets – but she managed to overturn the deficit and force a decider.
The third set was no cakewalk either for the 20-year-old as the Chinese tennis star was twice up by a break. However, Gauff stayed calm once again – didn’t allow Zheng to serve out for the title – and forced a tie-break, which she won to complete a 3-6 6-4 7-6 (2) win.
After the final, coach Macci was asked if the 2024 WTA Finals champion was “the next Venus or Serena.” He wasn’t willing to declare that but that still didn’t prevent him from dropping a major praise and statement on the 20-year-old’s game.
“Asked if Coco is the next Venus or Serena. There is only…
