If people were asked to imagine the face of women’s tennis, many would undoubtedly respond with Serena Williams. 23 grand slam titles in the Open-Era is something only she could have achieved. However, Williams retired from the sport in 2022, leaving the tennis world scrambling to find a heiress to fill the spot and take women’s tennis to an even higher level. In an exclusive discussion with EssentiallySports at the Desert Smash event, NFL star Reggie Bust said that the sport has Williams’ heiress in Coco Gauff.
Gauff has often been compared to Williams when it comes to the impact of her game. Many believe that she will eventually surpass the player, and the list now includes Reggie Bush.
Is Coco Gauff the heiress of Serena Williams?
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The 19-year-old tennis star managed to turn the world on its head after she won the US Open, ending a five-year Grand Slam drought for American tennis. Her name resounded in several sports, including the NFL. At the Desert Smash event in La Quinta, California, Bush appeared in an exclusive with EssentiallySports, where he was asked about what he would want to see in tennis to awaken interest in younger fans.
For Bush, the sport already spoke to the younger audience. “We have women like Coco Gauff. Serena Williams who is the queen, who’s really paved the way for people of color, women of color, to play tennis at a high level, I think that’s all you can ask for. You know, for someone to set the bar and continue to raise the bar,” said Bush.
Talking about his thoughts about the two American players, Bush continued, “I think Serena set the bar; you got young players like Gauff to take it even higher. So to me, that’s what I love seeing about sport.”
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Bush has seen the potential in Gauff, and he believes that she can rise higher and take the mantle from Williams. However, he is not the only one who believes in this possibility.
Williams’ old rival believes Gauff has it in her to become great
Maria Sharapova appeared on ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast’, where she discussed her tennis career and personal life. Masha, who witnessed the spectacular final bout between Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, shared her impressions of the fiery young kid. She believes that Gauff has the potential to be great.
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She said, “I think she has the ability to transcend the sport into so many bridging entertainment and sport and culture, and fashion.” Similar to Bush, Sharapova believes that Coco Gauff can become like Serena Williams, who brought culture to the sport and always made strong fashion statements. What are your thoughts on this?
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