Serena Williams' childhood coach makes his feelings known on whether Coco Gauff is the 'next Serena'

Serena Williams' childhood coach, Rick Macci, has shared his thoughts on whether Coco Gauff is the next Serena Williams. The 70-year-old coached the Williams sisters when they moved from Compton to West Palm Beach, Florida, to train at his tennis academy and advance their careers.

Over the years, Gauff has often been compared to Serena, in part due to their similar early success. Williams turned professional at 14 and won her first Grand Slam title at 17 at the 1999 US Open.

Similarly, Gauff gained global attention at 15 by defeating Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019. In 2023, she became the youngest player since Williams’ 1999 triumph to win the US Open.

On December 28, Macci posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was asked if Coco Gauff is the next Serena Williams. He said that Williams' unique qualities made her one of a kind and added that the 43-year-old is beyond comparison.

“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 wrote.

---

Coco Gauff - “Having role models like Serena and Venus to look up to made a difference”

Coco Gauff and Venus Williams at the French Open- Source: Getty

In October, U.S. advisory and tax firm Baker Tilly released an interview with Coco Gauff on Instagram.

The 20-year-old said tennis wasn’t popular in the Black community, and most people didn’t care when she said she played. But seeing Serena and Venus Williams inspired her.

"Like in the Black community, tennis is not a huge thing. Nobody really knew anything about it. I had mentioned that I play tennis but nobody cared. But I feel like for me, having role models like Serena and Venus to look up to made a difference," Coco Gauff said.

"Honestly, I just remember watching Venus at the US Open. My dad got second-row tickets and we were so close and that was a cool thing."

She added that seeing someone who looks like her succeed in a predominantly white sport motivates her to keep going. She hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves like she was inspired.

“That’s what pushes me to keep going. Just because the sport is predominantly white, you believe you can do that passion when you see somebody that looks like you being successful.

“Hopefully, I can be that belief for somebody else.”

Serena Williams retired after the 2022 US Open, while her older sister Venus is still active on the WTA tour. This season, Venus participated only in the Miami Open and the Indian Wells Masters, where she faced first-round exits.