"Coco Gauff is an Olympic sprinter, Serena Williams is an Olympic champion, both gems cut from the same stone" - Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci

Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci recently stated that Coco Gauff and Williams are two players who are like precious "gems," hewn from the same stone.

Macci is a renowned coach in the tennis circuit, boasting a career spanning for over four decades. He has coached numerous top players, including the likes of Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and many others.

Rick Macci's coaching prowess has garnered him immense recognition, including the title of the USPTA National Coach of the Year on seven occasions. He was inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame in October 2017.

Macci recently took to social media to express his admiration for both the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff and the 23-time Grand Slam winner and his student, Serena Williams.

The 69-year-old likened Gauff to an Olympic sprinter and Williams to an Olympic champion with rackets in their hands.

"@CocoGauff is an Olympic Sprinter with a racquet in her hand. @serenawilliams is an Olympic Champion with a racquet in her hand. Both GEMS cut from the same stone," Macci posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"Ended up missing my All-Star game because I had to play the junior US Open" - Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff with her runners-up trophy at the 2017 junior US Open Tennis Championships

Coco Gauff has made a brilliant start to her 2024 Australian Open champaign, advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament. She defeated players including Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Caroline Dolehide, Alycia Parks, and Magdalena Frech to secure her spot among the final eight.

During a press conference at the Melbourne Slam, Gauff talked about her past involvement in other sports - basketball and track, before fully committing to a professional tennis career. She revealed that she would have been a track runner but now primarily engages in running solely during her cardio sessions.

"I did do track and basketball. I really love track. I think I would have been a good 400 runner," Coco Gauff said. "I've actually never really timed myself like just a straight, like, sprint. The only times I'm on the track is for cardio, and we're doing a lot of them."

The World No. 3 added that, although she had chosen tennis as her desired professional sport, her parents urged her to continue playing basketball and participating in track running alongside tennis.

Gauff shared that she had to pass up the opportunity to participate in an All-Star game in 2017 after reaching the singles final at the junior US Open, where she finished second-best to Amanda Anisimova.

"My parents always never wanted me to specify in a sport, which is why when I was 13, I knew that I was going to play tennis, but they still put me in basketball and track. I ended up missing my All-Star game because I had to play the junior US Open. I made the finals of that tournament," Gauff added.

Coco Gauff will face Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open on Tuesday, January 23.