Coco Gauff is living proof that success is bound to follow if you dream big and work hard. At just 20, she’s already racked up an impressive list of achievements, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of tennis. And it seems like every time she steps onto the court, someone new takes notice of her undeniable talent. The latest to join her ever-growing fanbase? None other than tennis legend Venus Williams. 

The 44-year-old engaged in an interaction with Tamron Hall for the latter’s eponymous talk show and deliberated on a wide range of factors related to the sport. During the interview, the star player was shown an X post by Gauff that she made in April this year sharing a picture of her childhood where she can be seen sitting behind Venus Williams during a US Open match in 2012. In the pictures, Williams was seen on her chair while playing Bethanie Mattek-Sands during the first round of the tournament. 

Captioning the post, Gauff wrote, “If this isn’t proof that your dreams are closer than you think then idk what is” highlighting the long journey she took to achieve the glory that she is witnessing today. When quizzed about Williams’ reaction to the post, the tennis great heaped praises on her young compatriot. “It’s so exciting to see her just like, explode,” Williams said. “She is fantastic and of course, I hope she wins every match.” Continuing further, she highlighted the importance of dreaming and aspiring despite the challenges that come the way of individuals. 

“You have to dream,” Williams continued. “And that doesn’t mean like there won’t be turns all the way of the dream or some days it’s gonna be ups and downs. But as long as you have your nerve star, and there is times you have to figure out how to do it another way. But all that is part of, you have to dream.” And for Gauff, the dream indeed turned into reality. 

From watching one of her idols playing from the stands to playing against her and defeating her in a surprising match, the 2023 US Open champion has definitely come a long way. Remember, it was for the first time in 2019 when a young 15-year-old Coco Gauff took on Venus Williams for the first time at Wimbledon. Surprising every individual, she stunned the seven-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. 

Speaking after the match, Gauff had shed light on her dreams before facing Williams. “I said this before: I want to be the greatest,” Gauff said. “My goal was to play my best. My dream was to win. That’s what happened.” This was not an isolated example when Williams and Gauff heaped praises on each other. The young American was even lauded when she clinched the US Open title last year, and interestingly, she has credited the Williams sisters as one of her biggest motivations time and again. 

When Coco Gauff credited Venus Williams as her inspiration

Coco Gauff has attained several accolades and titles at a very young age. This includes the 2023 US Open trophy and the doubles title at the French Open this year. While many might have attributed her success to a variety of things, the star player herself opened up about her inspiration and credited Venus Williams and Serena Williams behind the same. 

Speaking after lifting the Grand Slam trophy last year, Gauff paid tribute to the Williams sisters and said, “They’re the reason why I have this trophy today.” Continuing further, she elaborated and mentioned how they gave new hope to many black athletes like her. “To be honest, they’ve allowed me to believe in this dream. Growing up, there wasn’t too many just Black tennis players dominating the sport. It was literally at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember.” And now, Gauff is already a champion in the arena.

As the season evolves, it would be interesting to see if this inspiration and the latest praise by Williams will become the driving force for Gauff to achieve even more success on the courts.