“When people say that she will be the next Serena, it seems like a leap too high. I don’t think we can get to something like that.” said Serena Williams‘ childhood coach Rick Macci last year on Coco Gauff, after the 20-year-old lifted her first US Open trophy.

In the last one year, the young American has added another big title to her credit. Last month, she became the first American player, after Serena in 2014, to win the WTA Finals trophy.

However, it’s still too early to even make a comparison between the legend and the youngster. Macci has reiterated this sentiment once again!

The Hall of Famer coach, who trained Serena in her early years, took to X and shared a post, dated December 28.

This time, he revealed his unfiltered and more strong opinions on Coco Gauff’s tennis skills in comparison with ReRe.

When asked about his honest thoughts on whether Gauff could be the next Serena, he had nothing but a transparent response.

“Asked if Coco Gauff is the next Serena. There are common elements.” he wrote. But there’s still a vast difference of talent according to him.

“Serena was the Total Package OF SPEED QUICKNESS SIZE STRENGTH CLEAN GROUNDIES AND THE BEST SERVE IN THE HISTORY OF WOMENS TENNIS. Coca is great.

Serena is rare Air and nobody can Compare. @serenawilliams” he concluded. While he thinks a direct comparison is not necessary, yet, he believes Coco still has a lot to prove.

He thinks she can go on to win a lot more trophies, especially the Grand Slams, with her on-court dominance shown in recent years.

“Despite incredible pressure, she won in three sets. People said she played badly, but I saw it differently. She then continued with other victories in three sets, and here she became US Open champion.

And now the whole narrative has changed. She is a golden nugget,” said Macci last year in an interaction with Tennis Infinity.

Asked if Coco Gauff is the next Serena. There are common elements. Serena was the Total Package OF SPEED QUICKNESS SIZE STRENGTH CLEAN GROUNDIES AND THE BEST SERVE IN THE HISTORY OF WOMENS TENNIS. Coca is great. Serena is rare Air and nobody can Compare. @serenawilliams

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) December 28, 2024

His reaction was in relation to Coco Gauff‘s historic win at the Flushing Meadows where she beat World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final after trailing in the first set. She came back strongly and took the match with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. “She is faster than fast, one of the best competitors, in my opinion, the best athlete on the women’s circuit. Will she win more Grand Slams? Absolutely,” he added.

But to clinch more Major trophies, the 20-year-old needs to be consistent with her technique. She’s got few weaknesses as of now, but Macci believes she can eventually fix them in the long run while making a name for herself.

Rick Macci praises Coco Gauff despite technical flaws

The 7o-year-old coach is known for spotting promising talents early. Seems like Gauff happens to be one of them right now.

Few weeks back, there was a clip on social media in which he was seen commenting on the young tennis sensation. Praising her stroke-making skills, he said,

“I have to mention Coco Gauff, the Olympic sprinter with a racquet in her hand. Her backbone is just as good as her backhand.”

Yes, he acknowledged that her “Forehand is a little bit dodgy at times. Second serve is dodgy” but she’s still “such a great competitor and what I love about Coco- she’s 20 years old!

People think she’s been there for a long time, you know and she’s already top 3,4 in the world. So, she’s not going anywhere. She’s gonna be there for a long time.” he added.

Earlier this year, in an exclusive interaction with EssentiallySports, Rick Macci had revealed more insight on Gauff’s technique. “Her forehand has always been a little suspect. If she had Federer’s forehand or Djokovic’s forehand, she’d be sitting here with five or six Grand Slams already because she’s so good in other areas.”

Well it seems Gauff has got what it takes to become the next big American tennis legend. All she needs to do is to make some adjustments and fine tune herself.

And then, sky will be the only limit. Do you think she will continue her great form, shown at the WTA Finals last month, in 2025 as well? Can she clinch her second Major at the Australian Open next month? Let us know in the comments below.