“They Scream the Same Bullshit Every Year!” – Serena Williams Roars to Coco Gauff’s Defense, Igniting a Firestorm of Sisterhood in Tennis

Los Angeles, November 15, 2025 – The tennis world, often a glittering arena of grace and grit, can turn vicious in an instant – especially when a young phenom dares to stumble. Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old US Open champion and beacon of American tennis, has weathered her share of storms this year. From a shock quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open to a grueling fourth-round upset at the US Open against Naomi Osaka, the criticism has poured in like acid rain: “Her serve is a liability.” “She’s peaking too soon.” “Not Serena 2.0 – just hype.” But yesterday, on a sun-drenched afternoon in LA, Serena Williams – the 23-time Grand Slam titan who Gauff idolizes – lit a match under the naysayers with a podcast tirade that has the sport buzzing.

It was episode 47 of Serena’s Serve, Williams’ unfiltered Spotify hit where the queen trades baseline banter for raw truths. Mid-rant about the WTA Finals in Riyadh – where Gauff clawed to a semifinal but faltered in a tiebreak thriller against Iga Świątek – Serena’s voice dropped to that signature growl. “They scream the same bullshit every year!” she exploded, slamming her water bottle for emphasis. “Coco wins a Slam at 19, defends her title, bags two WTA 1000s, and suddenly it’s ‘Why isn’t she dominating? Why the double faults?’ Clichéd responses to greatness – y’all been doing this since Venus and I were kids. Black excellence gets the microscope, not the medal stand.”

The clip, timestamped at 14:32, went nuclear within minutes. Williams, 44 and thriving as a mom, entrepreneur, and commentator, didn’t mince words. “Appreciate her talent instead of tearing her down,” she urged, her tone a velvet hammer. “Coco’s got fire – that backhand slice, those legs that eat courts for breakfast. She’s 21! I was still figuring out my serve at that age. Fans, media, ‘internet coaches’ – stop the noise. Build her up, or shut up.” It was vintage Serena: unapologetic, universal, and laced with the hard-won wisdom of someone who’s stared down racism, sexism, and a sport that loves to devour its daughters.

The timing? Impeccable, if unintended. Gauff, fresh off a practice session at the BNP Paribas Open prep in Indian Wells, was scrolling her feed courtside when the episode dropped. Her team – coach Brad Gilbert and biomechanics guru Gavin MacMillan – had just wrapped a session tweaking her second serve, the very bugbear that’s fueled the 2025 backlash. Coco’s face lit up like she’d aced a match point. “Serena just… wow,” she texted a friend, per sources close to her camp. Five minutes later, as notifications exploded, Gauff hit record on her IG Stories. Eyes sparkling, racket slung over her shoulder, she leaned into the camera and delivered five words that would make Williams beam with pride: “Thank you, Queen. I see you.”

Five words. A crown emoji. A heart. The internet melted. #CocoQueen trended globally, racking up 1.4 million posts in hours. Gauff’s response wasn’t scripted – it was soul. “Seeing Serena speak my truth? It’s everything,” she elaborated in a quick follow-up Live, her Florida drawl warm amid the chaos. “She’s not just an idol; she’s the blueprint. That validation? It quiets the doubters. I’m grinding, but yeah – I see the greatness she sees in me.” Williams, monitoring from her LA home where daughter Olympia, 8, was building Lego courts, reposted with a simple fire emoji. Later, on X: “That’s my girl. Keep running through the BS, Coco. The throne’s big enough for us both. 👑”

This isn’t the first time Serena’s shield has extended to Gauff. Back in 2023, after Coco’s China Open loss to Świątek, Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs – no stranger to tough love herself – jumped to her defense against social media trolls. “Internet coaches never coached anyone at my level,” Gauff had quipped then, echoing Serena’s own clapbacks. But 2025 has been a gauntlet: the Aussie Open quarterfinal flameout to Paula Badosa drew barbs about “unforced errors” (41 in that match alone); Miami’s early exit amplified Stubbs’ podcast pleas for serve surgery; and Osaka’s US Open upset – a 6-4, 7-5 masterclass – had even Rick Macci, Serena’s childhood coach, tweeting tough love: “Coco’s evolving, but y’all watching the wrong movie.” Gauff fired back then too, ditching coach Matt Daly for MacMillan in a bold pivot. Wins followed: Beijing semis, Wuhan title. Yet the chorus persisted – “She’s no Serena.”

Serena’s intervention flips the script. On Serena’s Serve, she dissected the “cliché”: the annual pile-on when young stars like Naomi Osaka or Emma Raducanu hit bumps. “It’s code for ‘Prove you’re worthy – again,'” she said. “Especially for us. Coco’s got two Slams, World No. 3 ranking, off-court empire with New Balance and Vogue covers. Let her breathe!” The episode spiked to No. 1 on Spotify Sports, drawing guests like Billie Jean King for a follow-up on “legacy pressure.”

Gauff’s delight rippled through the tour. Świątek, her Riyadh vanquisher, DM’d: “She’s right – you’re a force. See you in the finals next time.” Osaka, Gauff’s US Open conqueror, posted: “Serena speaks facts. Coco, you’re built different.” Even critics softened: Stubbs, on her own pod, conceded, “Serena’s got the mic – and the point. Coco’s serve is baking; give it time.” Macci doubled down positively: “Queen’s endorsement? That’s the real weapon.”

For Gauff, whose journey from 15-year-old Wimbledon phenom to matriarch-in-waiting mirrors Serena’s blueprint (minus the Compton courts), this is rocket fuel. “Those five words? Straight from the heart,” her agent told SI exclusively. “Serena’s not just defending – she’s passing the torch.” As Indian Wells looms – Gauff’s opener against qualifier Maria Bouzkova – expect fire. The 21-year-old, with her whippy forehand and unyielding spirit, isn’t tearing down walls; she’s vaulting them.

In tennis’ echo chamber of doubt, Serena’s roar and Coco’s whisper form a symphony of solidarity. “They scream the same bullshit every year,” indeed. But today, two queens remind us: greatness isn’t silenced by noise. It’s amplified by love. And with idols like Serena in her corner, Coco Gauff isn’t just surviving the storm – she’s rewriting the forecast.