American teen phenom, Cori "Coco" Gauff has become an overnight sensation since upsetting five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon Monday.
The 15-year-old from Delray Beach, Fla., had already made history last week, when she became the youngest player in the Open era to qualify into the Wimbledon main draw. With her win over her idol Williams, Gauff is now the youngest to win a main-draw match at the All England Club since 1991, when another 15-year-old, Jennifer Capriati, stunned defending champion Martina Navratilova in the quarterfinals.
“I never thought this would happen,” Gauff told the BBC following her win. “I’m living my dream right now. Not many people get to say that.”
Here’s more on the rising talent, who will take on No. 139-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia in the second round.
The Coco Gauff File
Age: 15
Birthplace: Atlanta, Ga.
Residence: Delray Beach, Fla.
Current Ranking: 313
Career-High Ranking: 299 (June 2019)
Best US Open Finish: Girls’ singles runner-up (2017); girls’ doubles champion (2018)
The Baseline
- Gauff’s win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon is just the second WTA Tour-level win of her career. She won her first WTA match this past March in Miami, defeating fellow American Caty McNally in the first round.
- In July 2018, Gauff became the youngest-ever No. 1-ranked girl in the current ITF ranking system, and she is still currently in the Top 10 of the ITF World Junior Rankings at No. 7. She has won two junior Grand Slam trophies—the girls’ singles title at the 2018 French Open and the girls’ doubles championship at the 2018 US Open. She is also the US Open’s youngest-ever girls’ singles finalist, finishing runner-up to fellow American and current world No. 26 Amanda Anisimova in 2017.
- The 15-year-old prodigy grew up idolizing the Williams sisters, and she had the opportunity to meet Serena when she trained at the academy of Williams' coach, Patrick Mourotaglou, in France. "The first time I met Serena, I did a commercial when I was 10 and met her briefly," Gauff said. "Then I met her again at the opening ceremony for Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy in Nice. It was like a dream. It felt like it wasn’t really real. She told me to keep doing what I’m doing and to keep working hard.”
- Gauff, who started playing tennis at age 6, comes from an athletic family. Her father, Corey, played college basketball for the Georgia State Panthers and holds the school record for most steals in a game, while her mom, Candi, was an elite 110-meter hurdler and, before that, an award-winning dancer and talented gymnast. She has two younger brothers, Cody and Cameron.
They said it! Former tennis stars on Gauff...
John McEnroe: "Gauff's not only physically mature, but also mentally. I look at the way she plays. If she's not No. 1 in the world by 20, I will be absolutely shocked."
Tracy Austin: "People have been talking about Coco for years. They have now started to recognize her internationally. Obviously she's a tremendous athlete, but to walk on court to face Venus, a player who she idolizes, there were plenty of opportunities for her to get tight and nervous. She has been raised for greatness, and this is beginning."
Chanda Rubin: "Just 15 years of age, her very first Grand Slam main draw, a first Wimbledon main draw, against a Venus Williams who played a good match. I think we're seeing a champion in the making here."
