Former Australian player Rennae Stubbs recently suggested that two-time Major champion Coco Gauff should temporarily “shut down” her season to work on her game away from the spotlight. Her remarks came amid Gauff’s ongoing struggles with consistency, particularly on her serve and forehand.
However, veteran coach Rick Macci disagreed with that suggestion, implying that the American is emotionally ‘cut from a different cloth.’
How did Rick Macci respond to Rennae Stubbs’s suggestion for Coco Gauff?
Gauff has not won a title since her breakthrough French Open triumph earlier this year, and her serving woes are persistently growing. She leads the tour in terms of the double faults this season, which she wants to improve as soon as possible.
Even as Gauff charts her own path to improvement, former Australian player Stubbs has urged her to take a break from competition and fix those technical errors. Speaking on her podcast, the 54-year-old shared that she would have shut down her season if she were in Gauff’s place.
“Again, that’s the situation right? Is it the right thing to do? I don’t know. Everybody knows, I have said it several times in the pod, I would have shut it down for the season and really try to work on those technical flaws,” she said in the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
However, Serena Williams’ childhood coach, Macci, disagrees with Stubbs’ suggestion. The veteran, known for his social media commentary, dismissed calls for Gauff to end her season, highlighting her emotional resilience and insisting her forehand adjustments can wait until December.
“People chirping for Coco to shut it down. I disagree totally with that. In December she can do the forehand fix. Right now her serve has technically changed a lot in combat. Emotionally she is cut from a different cloth. She can handle brutal defeats. She is 21 and just begun. @CocoGauff,” he wrote on X.
People chirping for Coco to shut it down. I disagree totally with that. In December she can do the forehand fix. Right now her serve has technically changed a lot in combat. Emotionally she is cut from a different cloth. She can handle brutal defeats. She is 21 and just begun.…
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) October 9, 2025
Nonetheless, Gauff is focused on competing and aiming for another WTA 1000 title during her campaign in Wuhan. The two-time Major champion began her campaign emphatically, defeating Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-0, and now prepares for a third-round showdown against home favorite Zhang Shuai. The American enters the contest with a psychological advantage, boasting a flawless 3-0 head-to-head record against the Chinese player.
Rename Stubs appears to be prejudiced/biased? not only this time.