Coco Gauff reveals her two tennis idols and what they taught her

Coco Gauff grew up playing on the public courts in Delray Beach, Florida, which Serena and Venus Williams also frequented in their youth. From the start, the 19-year-old has followed in their footsteps in many ways.

Last fall, Gauff cemented the similarities between herself and her two idols when she won the U.S. Open, becoming the youngest American tennis player to win since Serena Williams in 1999.

in a recent interview FashionThe young star revealed that she has looked up to the Williams sisters since she was about 4 years old. According to reports, when Goff’s father once sat down to watch Serena play, young Coco looked on and declared that she, too, “wanted to be the GOAT.” Fashion.

Gauff has met her idols several times over the years, and each time they’ve left her with a nugget of wisdom. When she was in elementary school, she played young Serena in commercials.On set, she met the tennis icon, who said something to the effect of, “Focus on your growth and your own success rate, not someone else’s,” she told Fashion.

In just about five years, she encountered Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019. Gauff won that match in straight sets, and the subsequent doubles match made the young player even wiser. “(Venus) taught me the importance of humility, the importance of enjoying life outside of tennis, and the importance of letting your emotions out on the court,” Gauff told Fashion.

The Williams sisters’ huge impact on Gauff as a player is evident in her success. She’s on a similar trajectory – maybe becoming the GOAT, like she’s always wanted to be.