Serena Williams, Venus Williams & Coco Gauff are all 'cut from the same cloth', says Rick Macci

Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci recently gave his thoughts on the comparisons between Coco Gauff and the Williams sisters. The American believes that while no player can emulate the legacy of the latter two, Gauff is similar to them when it comes to handling pressure during matches.

Gauff won the second-biggest and the ninth overall title of her career at last week's WTA Finals in a display of trademark resilience. After going 2-1 in her round-robin matches in Riyadh, the 20-year-old upset World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first title match at the year-end championships.

In the final against Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff not only overcame a set deficit but also came back from a service break down twice in the decider, before eventually winning 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) to seal the deal.

Rick Macci, who coached Venus and Serena Williams for a short period in the 1990s, has since been asked whether he felt the American youngster is ready to follow in the footsteps of the Williams sisters. The 69-year-old expressed his views on the topic on his social media handle on Tuesday (Nov. 12), claiming that the seven-time Major winner and the 23-time Major winner — both of whom have been World No. 1 on multiple occasions — were unique in their own right.

Macci, however, conceded in the same breath that Gauff, Serena and Venus shared a common trait, which is their ability to remain calm under pressure.

"Asked if Coco is the next Venus or Serena. There is only one Venus. Only one Serena," Rick Macci wrote on X on Tuesday. "But the Same Thread all 3 share and the most important Thread is how the Thread stabilizes under pressure and all 3 are cut from the same Cloth. @CocoGauff @Venuseswilliams @serenawilliams."

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Serena Williams and Venus Williams have both monopolized WTA Finals

Serena Williams has won five WTA Finals titles in singles (Source: Getty)

While Coco Gauff can certainly take pride in her WTA Finals victory, she has a long way to go before she matches Venus and Serena Williams' record at the year-end championships. In singles, the seven-time Major winner and the 23-time Major winner have six titles between them.

Venus Williams has played three title matches at the WTA Finals, recording her lone triumph in 2008 and finishing runner-up in 2009 and 2017. The younger Williams sister, on her part, has won five titles at the elite tournament (2001, 2009, 2012-14) and lost the final twice (2002, 2004).

For academic purposes, Venus and Serena Williams have also qualified for the doubles competition at the year-end event on three occasions (1999, 2009-10). They reached the last four in 2009 — a year that saw them pick up three of the four doubles Majors.