At 21, Coco Gauff is admired by the greatest. Ranked second in the world, the American tennis player has already beaten the biggest names on the most prestigious courts, winning her first title at Roland Garros. Although Wimbledon has been less kind to her, she still has many sporting achievements ahead of her.
She could have turned to basketball, like her father Corey at the University. Or towards athletics, like his mother Candi Gauff, specialized in the heptathlon. But it is for tennis that Coco Gauff became passionate. Born in 2004 in Atlanta, she seriously starts this sport at 6 years old. His talent is quickly spotted and her family even decides to move to Florida to allow her to fully dedicate herself to tennis. At 10 years old, she trains at the academy of Patrick Mouratoglou who was the coach of the player Serena Williams, much admired by Coco Gauff (whose full name is Cori Dionne Gauff).
Ranked in the top 50 at 16 years old
The young player shines in the championship. In 2017, at 13 years old, she is a finalist of the US Open junior. The following year, she won Roland-Garros junior and became, in parallel to being the youngest champion since 1994, the world junior number 1.
At 15 years old, it’s the consecration. She beats Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon and reaches the eighth finals, beaten by Simona Halep. “Venus is one of my idols. It’s incredible to beat her here, at Wimbledon” she had declared.
In 2020, she beat Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open and reached the quarter-finals in Lexington. At 16 years old, the sportswoman is ranked in the top 50. The following year, she was a finalist at the WTA 1000 in Rome, eighth at Roland-Garros and won the doubles title in Parma with Caty McNally.
“Inspire young girls”
In 2022, she loses the Roland-Garros final, beaten by Iga Świąte. The semi-finals in doubles at Roland-Garros and the US Open are added to her list of achievements. At 18 years old, she enters the top 10 in the world in singles and doubles and says she wants to ‘inspire young girls’.
Coco Gauff wins her first Grand Slam singles title at only 19 years old, during the US Open 2023. She then becomes the youngest American to win this competition since Serena Williams in 1999. “People doubted me, but I proved that I was capable. This title, I dedicate it to all those who supported me”. She also wins the WTA 500 in Washington and the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. In total, the tennis player won 7 titles in single WTA and 8 in double WTA.
On June 7, she won her first Roland Garros title in a memorable match lasting two hours and 38 minutes against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (6-7, 6-2, 6-4). She became the first American since Serena Williams in 2013 to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup. She later reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. However, her luck ran out at Wimbledon on July 1, when she was defeated in the first round by Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
Much more than a tennis player with an impressive career, Coco Gauff embodies this new generation of inspiring, mentally steely and committed athletes, for her part in the Black Lives Matter movement. Values that attract many brands, such as Ray-Ban, Bose, Rolex, Head, Marriott Bonvoy and New Balance, of which she is the ambassador for the collection campaign in partnership with Miu Miu. “My dream is not just to win, it’s to leave a mark,” she mentions. And the path has only just begun for the 21-year-old sportswoman.
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Featured photo : © New Balance
