“Do It So Elegantly”: Coco Gauff on Serena Williams and Venus Williams’ Influence on Her Tennis

Venus Williams and Serena Williams have been an inspiration for many young players entering the Tennis world. Coco Gauff is no different from others. The young US international spoke to CNN about her rise and inspirations in her career.

Gauff said that she is inspired by Serena Williams and Venus Williams. She added, “Not only their (Williams Sisters) games but how they handle themselves off the court is something I look up to.”

As per Coco, there is not much representation of people who look like her in the sport. It was the sisters who changed the young girl’s life, and “seeing them dominate and do it so elegantly inspired me,” she said.

Coco Gauff rise as a young sensational star

The 17-year-old US international has made an early mark on the Tennis world. After Major’s debut in the US open as wild card entry in 2018, Coco made a huge stride as promising young talent available on the horizon. Next year she made it to the second round of the French Open and 4th round in Wimbledon.

In Wimbledon, Coco Gauff faced her Idol Venus Williams and managed to win in straight sets. 2020 also saw a drastic growth in her capabilities, but she mostly found success in doubles tournaments. She made back-to-back quarterfinals appearances in the Australian Open (2020, 2021) and also reached the 2021 US Open doubles finals.

Now she stands 21st in the world ranking and looks to improve on her performance.

Gauff recent oozing confidence

Talented American spoke with CNN about her rise and inspiration. As said earlier, Serena Williams and Venus Williams’ impact shaped her for the Tennis, while she herself is also self-motivated.

On her quarterfinals match in last season’s Roland Garros, she said, “I learned I was capable of winning a Grand Slam. When you make the quarterfinals of a Slam it means you’re one of the eight best players in the world at that time. Hopefully I can get an even better result next time.”

Her quarterfinal run allowed her to break Venus Williams’ record of being the youngest woman to go that far in a major tournament. She also managed to get a massive win over Naomi Osaka in the 2020 Australian Open third round.

Though she had a rough 2022 start, she is confident about doing well in upcoming tournaments.

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