Serena Williams' ex-coach sends message to Coco Gauff after American's heartbreaking Berlin loss

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rick Macci, sent a message to Coco Gauff after her opening round loss at the Berlin Tennis Open. Gauff was fresh off her maiden French Open win, the first for an American woman since Williams in 2015.

Coco Gauff faced World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open finals, losing to the latter in straight sets. She entered the final clay tournament of the season, the Roland Garros, where she successfully avenged her loss by claiming the top spot and her maiden French Open title.

The 21-year-old was next in action at the Berlin Tennis Open, the first grass-court tournament of the season. Despite being a heavy favorite, she faced a surprise defeat 6-3,6-3 from Wang Xinyu in the opening round itself.

Gauff's loss garnered reaction from Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rick Macci, who boasts seven USPTA National Coach of the Year laurels. The 70-year-old shared a message on X, reading:

"Wta players come out of the woodwork on grass because of the playing style. Clean ball strikers low center of gravity and a slice serve that can curve. The style effects the smile to go the extra mile especially on the green from players you have not really seen."

Expand Tweet

Gauff was a finalist at the 2025 Italian Open, but succumbed to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.

Coco Gauff exuded confidence about her upcoming Grand Slam stint at Wimbledon

Coco Gauff at the French Open Tennis Tournament. Roland-Garros 2025. - (Source: Getty)

Gauff's first opening-round loss in 2025 came at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. The American No. 2 faced the same fate at the Grass Court Championships in Berlin, exiting the first round after losing in straight sets. She penned a note on Instagram, expressing gratitude to the tournament for a short but memorable stint. She also anticipated a stronger comeback at Wimbledon, slated to begin on June 30, 2025.

"It was a tough one today but happy to be back on court. I tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn’t enough. as always, i’m learning as I go so I hope to do better next time.thank you berlin for the short but sweet visit, I’ll come back stronger next year 🫶🏾and I wish I could give this kit some more screen time as it’s definitely one of my favs but i’m excited to get some more practices in to be ready for wimbledon🤍🌱 see you guys soon!"

Coco Gauff clinched the French Open doubles win in 2024 and her first major win at the US Open the previous year.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

Know More

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder