Coco Gauff is enjoying a stellar clay-court season, reaching three straight finals in Madrid, Rome, and now Paris. She eased past home favorite Loïs Boisson in the French Open semifinals and will next face top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Serena Williams’ former coach, Rick Macci, acknowledged Gauff’s dominant form, recently commenting on her impressive French Open run in an online post.
Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Lauded Coco Gauff for Her French Open Dominance So Far
The American began her Roland Garros campaign with a straight-sets win over Olivia Gadecki, followed by victories against Tereza Valentova, Marie Bouzková, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys. Notably, she dropped just one set against Keys en route to the semifinals.
Gauff then faced French wild card Boisson, who had eliminated big names like Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva. She then became the first woman from her country to reach the French Open semifinals since Marion Bartoli in 2011.
However, Boisson couldn’t maintain her momentum against the World No. 2, who broke her serve six times and won the match 6-1, 6-2 in just 1 hour and 9 minutes. Boisson struggled to find her rhythm, managing only eight winners while committing 33 unforced errors.
Gauff’s style of play later drew praise from Macci, who frequently shares his post-match analyses online. The 70-year-old admired Gauff’s ability to stay competitive and mentally present even on a bad day.
“What I love about Coco is how she competes. Everybody knows she does not GO AWAY even on a BAD DAY. She is bulletproof and can reset. She doubles a lot and the forehand can spray but she is two on the planet and her mind is like granite. @CocoGauff,” he wrote on X.
What I love about Coco is how she competes. Everybody knows she does not GO AWAY even on a BAD DAY. She is bulletproof and can reset. She doubles a lot and the forehand can spray but she is two on the planet and her mind is like granite. @CocoGauff
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) June 6, 2025
More: Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction, Odds and Pick – French Open 2025
Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Rick Macci Praises How Coco Gauff Dealt With the French Open Crowd
Gauff may have dashed the home crowd’s hopes by defeating their favorite, Boisson, in Thursday’s French Open semifinal, but she lightened their mood with a playful revelation. Gauff said after the match that she was mentally ready for the crowd to support Boisson almost entirely, so she countered it by repeating her name in her mind to stay strong and confident.
“When you guys were chanting her name I was saying to myself my name, just to psych myself out,” she said.
“When you guys were chanting her name I was saying to myself my name, just to psych myself out” 😅
Coco Gauff shares how she navigated the pro-Boisson crowd today 🇫🇷#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ZOEKHDlcC9
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 5, 2025
The French Open crowd has been notably intense, especially in support of home favorite Boisson. During their quarterfinal match, Andreeva was visibly affected by the hostile crowd, and she consequently received a code violation for slamming a ball into the stands.
Even Serena Williams’ former coach, Macci, was impressed by how the 21-year-old converted the tense situation into a positive one.
“THE ART OF FLIPPING. Coco and her mentally strong athletic parents know to how to deal with the mind game. The explosive French cheers and all the volcanic eruption she had to Endure flipped it to a compliment and they were actually cheering for Her. @CocoGauff, Macci shared on X.
THE ART OF FLIPPING. Coco and her mentally strong athletic parents know to how to deal with the mind game. The explosive French cheers and all the volcanic eruption she had to Endure flipped it to a compliment and they were actually cheering for Her. @CocoGauff
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) June 6, 2025
“Coco as I have said many times has a Backbone as amazing as her Backhand. She went into the LIONS DEN made the French crowd her best Friend and the Delray Dart was the one standing in the end. @CocoGauff,” he shared in another post.
With that, the American set up her 11th meeting on tour against Sabalenka. Their head-to-head is currently locked at 5-5, with the Belarusian winning their most recent encounter at last month’s Madrid Open final. While Gauff aims for her second Major title on Saturday, Sabalenka vies for her fourth.