Going into the US Open, all hopes in women’s singles were pinned on Coco Gauff by American tennis fans. The young sensation carried immense pressure on her shoulders and ran with it till she won. Now, people around the world are praising her efforts. Rennae Stubbs, the former coach of Serena Williams, talked highly of the player recently. She also saw some striking similarities between Gauff and the Queen of the Court.

Appreciation for the teenage player did not end with Stubbs. Gauff’s maiden Slam victory was a great show of her skills, and the world lauded her with comparisons to her self-admitted idol. Following Serena meant that the current World No.3 has big shoes to fill. But in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, her head coach Pere Riba weighed in on them.

Serena Williams’ former coach on the similarity between her and Coco Gauff

In a recent edition of ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast’, the Australian coach and host talked about the women’s singles US Open champion. Stubbs had already talked highly of the young American sensation even before her Grand Slam victory. But her first major win made Stubbs an even bigger fan of Gauff. The Australian coach couldn’t stop gushing over the young teen.

Critics and pundits were concerned about Gauff’s forehand and second serve before the tournament began. Facing the big hitters of the championship in the final stages meant that she couldn’t fail a single shot. Stubbs reflected: “But what she handled with the pressure on her shoulders toward actually winning tournaments coming in, and then handling that moment for two weeks every single match. I mean, her toughest match was a first-round against Siegemund, who and she was really pressed there because she was under so much pressure from the very beginning of this tournament.”

She further explained, “Very much like Serena in a little bit different ways. Everybody thinks Serena was supposed to win everything. But the fact that Coco had, for the first time, real pressure on her shoulder to actually come out and win the tournament. And the fact that she did it.”

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With the Serena parallels gaining traction day by day, Gauff faces a mountain ahead as she charts her own legacy. Pere Riba’s candid comments on the situation in a recent interview shed light on her one-track mind.

Pere Riba comments on Gauff being compared to Serena

With success comes the weight of tradition, and American fans have a long and decorated history with the WTA. Stubbs’ Serena Williams parallel for Coco Gauff didn’t come out of nowhere. But Gauff’s very own coach, Pere Riba, chimed in on the deliberations.

The Spanish coach said in the exclusive interview: “In sports, we have the habit of comparing when someone is really good. In the ATP tour, like right now, there’s a lot of comparison between Alcaraz and Nadal. Always they like to compare. But Coco… is working really hard and of course, dreaming big. These titles, this way how she’s playing, of course, she has to dream big, and then she has to follow her way.”

Well, the young teen certainly has something going right for her! Following her dreams with her feet firmly set in the ground, there remains huge promise from the American sensation. The next year will definitely be one to watch out for.

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