"I feel really sorry": Rennae Stubbs expresses concern over Coco Gauff's mental state ahead of US Open

Rennae Stubbs, the ex-coach of former world number one Serena Williams, has expressed concern about the form of young tennis sensation Coco Gauff ahead of the US Open. The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year is set to begin on August 26, and players from all over the world will showcase their talent at the highest level and secure the ultimate prize.

Gauff will be defending her crown in the upcoming mega-event. She lifted the title last year after beating Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Stubbs was recently quoted in a report where she expressed concern about the form of the world number three going into the mega-event. She stated that the young tennis sensation is not in a good mental state, which can impact her performance in the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year.

"I think there's a lot of voices coming her way,” she said. “I think that, you know, in so many ways, I feel really sorry for [Coco Gauff], because she has such a glaring lights on her. And it's only going to get more and more glaring at the US Open with what she has to do to. I feel so sorry for her because all the lights are on her and she's not in a good space, she's mentally not in a good space. She's getting very upset on the court."

Gauff is going through a difficult patch, having suffered some early-round exits. Most recently, she participated in the Cincinnati Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the round of 32 to Yulia Putintseva with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Before coming to Cincinnati, the Atlanta-born star lost in the second round of the Canadian Open to Russia’s Diana Shnaider in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-1.