All might not be well for Coco Gauff but her admirers would say otherwise. After many ups and downs this season, people expected this WTA star to fight with heart and soul for a medal. However, that dream ended for Gauff in the third round. Despite her luck not permitting in singles, Serena Williams‘ former coach still seems hopeful about her performance with her old compatriot, Jessica Pegula.
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In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci surprised everyone by picking his favorite female doubles pair for the Paris Olympics. When asked about whom Macci wishes to win the gold, the veteran tennis coach said, “I think its a higher probability. Coco is playing with Pegula right? I think they’re the favorite. Listen, in my mind they’d be the favorite but here’s another thing, it depends on singles, you know how far you go in singles, there’s rest, there’s a time element.”
Despite Gauff losing the third round to Donna Vekic, Macci was confident of the 20-year-old WTA star’s performance in doubles. Macci further said, “But my pick is I think Coco and Pegula, Jessica, I think that’s my pick to win the gold, no question. They’ve number one in the world and they can beat anybody anytime anywhere and why not at the Olympics.”
Gauff has already shown her brilliance in women’s doubles. Partnering with Jessica Pegula, the duo also reached the 2023 Wimbledon women’s doubles finals. While they were set to show their amazing collaboration on Rome’s clay court, Pegula’s sudden withdrawal broke people’s hope.
Reuters
Paris 2024 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Doubles First Round – Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France – July 27, 2024. Coco Gauff of United States and Jessica Pegula of United States react during their first round match against Ellen Perez of Australia and Daria Saville of Australia. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
The two brilliant American players have reunited in doubles to represent their country. They started their Olympics venture with a bang by defeating the Australian duo Ellen Perez and Daria Saville. Given their impressive performance, one can understand why Macci stated Gauff and Pegula’s name as his favorite doubles pair.
On the other hand, Macci always had a soft corner for Coco Gauff. Despite praising Iga Swiatek’s skills, Macci dropped an amazing compliment for the reigning US Open champion.
Serena Williams’ former coach compared Coco Gauff’s mindset with Roger Federer
Earlier in January, Rick Macci expressed his views on Coco Gauff and her 2024 Australian Open run with NBC. Despite Gauff accepting her defeat against Sabalenka in the semifinal, Macci seemed impressed by the American WTA star’s performance.
“She’s not going anywhere, we talked about this before. She’s a teenager, one of the best backhands on the tour. But I actually like her backbone better than her backhand,” he said. After this, Macci delved more and said, “I love her motto, ‘No days off‘. Coco’s only gonna get better. And what I really love, is she has the mindset of Roger Federer.”
Rick Macci’s compliment for Coco Gauff showcases this veteran coach’s admiration for her. While Macci wishes Gauff and Pegula pair to win a gold, do you think it would be possible at this Paris Olympics?