American rising star of tennis Coco Gauff is in the headlines again, but not for a good reason. Although the world number three managed to enter Rome’s semi-finals, her playstyle error angered her fans, who questioned: “how did Coco Gauff win the US Open”. Amidst such questioning, Serena Williams’s former coach, Rennae Stubbs, has come to Gauff’s rescue, stating how the fraternity “DONT disrespect hard working pros”.

In the last few days, Gauff has garnered huge criticisms for her serving skill errors and faulty forehand on the clay surface. As fans raised questions over Gauff’s 2023 US Open victory, Stubbs took a firm stand supporting Gauff and her hard work. “NO! we DONT disrespect hard working pros. Coco played GREAT all summer long last year & was the best player during the US Open Summer swing, there is no debate how or why she won the Open. She is obviously having a tough time right now, but we don’t disrespect achievements earned,”  Stubbs wrote on X.

Despite strong overall performance, Coco Gauff’s serve has been a concern at the Italian Open. The American has committed 35 double faults in only three matches. Things got interesting during a recent exchange between the fan and Rennae Stubbs. The fan critiqued Danielle Collins’ forehand, saying, “But she has a bad forehand”. This prompted a witty response from Stubbs referencing her previous praise for Collins’ game. “SEE ABOVE!” responded Williams’ ex-coach.

Despite battling 11 double faults in her hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Paula Badosa on Monday, Coco Gauff remains optimistic. The 20-year-old American advanced to the Italian Open quarterfinals and expressed confidence in improvements to her serve before the French Open, which starts on May 26. “I’m going big on the first serve, so I know I’m probably going to miss more. It’s just finding the balance of going big but also knowing when to slow down just to get the serve in,” Gauff, the 2022 Roland Garros runner-up, told reporters.

Gauff, working alongside coaches Brad Gilbert and Jean-Christophe Faurel, is actively seeking “technical tweaks” to address her serve. “It’s tough to do in-season and in-tournament,” she said per ESPN. “I feel from the night before my last match to now, it’s better. It’s only been two days. I’m trying.”

While Stubbs’s justification for Coco Gauff has garnered much attention, it is not the first time that this famous coach has come forward supporting the reigning US Open champion. When Gauff was criticized in her match against Karolina Pliskova at the Dubai Tennis Championships this year, Stubbs defended the American.

Rennae Stubbs believes Gauff has “EVERY RIGHT” to ask for a supervisor in Dubai

Stubbs has been a constant supporter of the 20-year-old American WTA star. During the seventh game of her match with Karolina Pliskova, Gauff faced a setback as the chair umpire Pierre Bacchi made a controversial call favoring Pliskova. Disappointed by the call, Gauff asked for a supervisor and was denied. In this matter, the reigning US Open champion received Rennae Stubbs’ support.

“The umpire is correct in saying it’s a judgement call & his to make. The other correct thing is Coco has EVERY RIGHT to ask for the super visor & he should have called her & the supervisor should have then come out to explain that she can’t change the decision. BS from him & rude,” Rennae Stubbs posted on her X account.

Serena Williams’s former coach’s support for Coco Gauff shows that despite the latter’s clay court playstyle errors, her US Open achievements shouldn’t be questioned. As winning and losing are parts of the game, one might continue to wonder why fans are unable to respect Gauff’s hard work and focus on her improvements rather than going on a tirade against her. Nonetheless, “I bet on myself to continue to go big…” said enthusiastic World No. 3.