Tennis player Coco Gauff has reflected on the importance of representation, sharing how Serena Williams and Venus Williams were pivotal in her own journey of becoming the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open in nearly 25 years.
In a Time Magazine profile, the now 20-year-old recalled watching Serena compete in the Australian Open at age six with her father, with him calling the tennis legend, “The GOAT”.
An inquisitive Gauff asked her father what that meant, and when he explained that it stood for “The Greatest of All Time”, she proudly declared, ”I want to be a GOAT.”
Coco Gauff’s tennis journey began after being inspired by the Williams sisters.
Soon after, her father bought her a pink Wilson racquet, which she used to practice hitting against the garage in her childhood Atlanta home for hours on end.
“As a little girl, it was very important to see representation and see myself in players, especially in the field where it is predominantly white,” Gauff reflects now.
“I don’t think I would have had the belief I could do it if it wasn’t for them.”
Gauff later went on to face one half of the duo on court.
As a child, Gauff even spent a few weeks a year in France attending the academy run by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena’s coach from 2012 to 2022.
Mouratoglou still remembers the determination in Gauff’s eyes as she told him she wanted to win more Grand Slams than anybody.
“She was crazy ambitious,” he told Time, “She was looking me in the eyes and was really sure about what she was saying.”
Five years later, at age 15, she would face off against Venus on the first round at Wimbledon, defeating the tennis pro 24 years her senior.
After the game, Gauff leaned over the net to show respect to her opponent’s legacy, telling her, “Thank you for what you did, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
Gauff will soon be heading to the Olympics Games Paris 2024, representing the US and hoping to “win a gold so bad”.
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