"Coco Gauff was under so much pressure, much like Serena Williams" - Rennae Stubbs revisits American's US Open triumph

Rennae Stubbs recently reflected on Coco Gauff's victory at the 2023 US Open championship match. Stubbs acknowledged the immense pressure the American faced, which she feels was reminiscent of Serena Williams' career challenges.

Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in just over two hours at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the summit clash. By doing so, she became the first American teenager to claim a Grand Slam singles title the 21st century.

The last time an American teenager secured the New York Slam was Serena Williams. She accomplished this feat at the 1999 US Open when she was just 17 years old.

In a conversation with Racquet Magazine co-founder Caitlin Thompson, Rennae Stubbs expressed her admiration for Coco Gauff's victory at the US Open. Stubbs acknowledged the pressure Gauff faced right from the start of the tournament, and feels it was similar to what Serena Williams encountered during her playing days.

"She [Coco Gauff] was under so much pressure from the very beginning of this tournament, very much like Serena [Williams], in a little bit different ways everybody thinks Serena was supposed to win everything," Stubbs said in a recent episode of 'The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.'

"But the fact that Coco had for the first time real pressure on her shoulders to actually came out and won the tournament."

Stubbs also mentioned that Gauff experienced some shaky moments during her time at Flushing Meadows, but such occurrences are to be anticipated. She emphasized that the World No. 3's coach, Brad Gilbert, played a significant role in her victory by greatly enhancing her forehand and backhand skills.

"She [Gauff] had some whoopsie-daisies every now and again in the matches but that's going to happen, that's just technique wise she's going to have those moments. The fact that I think Brad has helped her win ugly in some respects by getting a forehand into court and using her speed and her backhand is so good," Rennae Stubbs added.

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"To those who thought were putting water in my fire, you really added gas to it" - Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff with her US Open trophy

During the post-match trophy presentation after the US Open final, Coco Gauff seized the moment to directly address those who had cast doubt upon her abilities. Gauff graciously expressed her gratitude to them for inadvertently fueling the motivation she needed to succeed.

“Honestly, thank you to the people who didn't believe me. I mean, like a month ago, I won a 500 title and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was gonna get. So three weeks later I'm here with this trophy right now,” she said.

“I tried my best to carry this with grace and I've been doing my best. So honestly to those who thought were putting water in my fire, you're really added gas to it. And now I'm really burning so bright right now.”

Gauff revealed that despite the agonizing defeat in last year's French Open final against Iga Swiatek, she discovered solace in her unwavering faith in God.

“Oh my goodness. [Winning my first Grand Slam title on home soil] means so much to me. I feel like I'm a little bit in shock in this moment. That French Open loss was a heartbreak for me. But I realized, God puts you through tribulations and trials and this makes this moment even more sweeter than I can imagine,” she said.