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The noise around Coco Gauff’s poor run of form has amplified after her 2025 Stuttgart heartbreak. The criticism directed at the young American has drawn a disturbed reaction from Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci.
Gauff crashed out of the ongoing Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart on Saturday, April 19. The 21-year-old suffered a defeat to Jasmine Paolini, who secured a routine 6-4, 6-3 win in the quarterfinals. This was her sixth loss of the season, having not won a single WTA title after her exceptional end to 2024 with the WTA Finals trophy. Her only success this year has been the USA’s team victory at the United Cup.
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Coco Gauff’s unexpected plunge after some memorable campaigns between October and January drew extreme reactions from the tennis community, with many calling her lack of consistency and confidence “concerning.” Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Macci, though, had a different approach.
Macci was annoyed by the scrutiny and assured the fans that Gauff would return to winning ways, given her athleticism and overall tennis IQ.
"Coco will be fine. You never lose talent/ athletic ability. This is a journey of winning/ losing staggers/ daggers," he said on X.
Macci pointed fingers at the prevalent recency bias while boldly claiming that the 2023 US Open champion had multiple Grand Slam victories in her.
"She will win multiple Grand Slams and be number one in the future. Everybody freaks out when you lose/ Struggle but you win everybody loves to Snuggle," he added.
This is not the first time that Rick Macci has stood up for the youngster. He accused the tennis community of “magnifying” Gauff’s losses after her Miami Open exit last month.
Age is on Coco Gauff's side, opines Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci
Over the months, tennis fans and experts alike sounded the alarm on Coco Gauff’s forehand woes and serving collapse. However, after her most recent exit against Jasmine Paolini in Stuttgart, concerns were also raised about her possible backhand disintegration. Macci, meanwhile, wished for the noise to settle.
Serena Williams’ ex-coach argued that Gauff’s perceived instability at the young age of 21 shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
"Everybody needs to take a deep breath as Coco will be fine. She is 21. She will go up and down for a while but will 100% go to another level and more in the future," he said on X. "Not tomorrow if you call balls and strikes daily. Before the sunshine/ rainbow there is a rain/ thunder."
Coco Gauff, who is on the hunt for her first title of the season and 10th overall, will now shift her focus to the WTA 1000 in Madrid, where she’s yet to make it past the fourth round. The American begins her campaign in the second round against either Dayana Yastremska or a qualifier.
