Wimbledon: Coco Gauff Opens Up on Parents’ Biggest Sacrifice That Allowed Her Stardom to Flourish

“She might be overnight popular but she is not an overnight success,” once said Coco Gauff’s father about his 20-year-old daughter. For Coco Gauff’s parents, the rapid rise of their daughter to fame was as difficult to adjust to as the reigning U.S. Open champion herself. However, the whirlwind journey in tennis is far from over for the American tennis pro. Vying for her career’s second Grand Slam at Wimbledon, before the match begins, Gauff sheds light on how her parents navigate the delicate balance of family privacy while also keeping her grounded.

Before Coco Gauff steps on-court to take on Caroline Dolehide in the first round at Wimbledon, she appeared for a pre-tournament press conference. A clip of that interview, shared on the official YouTube channel of Wimbledon, revealed Gauff’s answer to the question, “Do you feel they (family) have adjusted to this life with you on the tour?”  The youngest (15) female player to win a Wimbledon match (since 1991), responded, “Both my parents had to get used to saying no. Because you know a lot of people will come up to them if they want something for me and then the first they like yeah sure I’ll get this for you. I’ll have her sign this and then it just becomes more and more and then they are like okay I’m not going to bother her.”

Further explaining it, Gauff added how her father (Corey Gauff) would pretend not to know where his daughter was to avoid the menace. Adding how this whole thing puts an extra “weight” on the family’s privacy, the American explained, “So I think they had to get used to say no and not feeling sad about saying no to somebody.” Nevertheless, the semifinalist of the French Open further illustrated that her parents are now “getting better,” at this as according to her, before, “they used to be like yeah yeah and then before you know it’s like 100 things in a week that they have agreed to me signing or something.”

The seven-singles title winner, Coco Gauff, has always enjoyed the support of her parents growing up. It all began at a very young age when her parents shifted to Delray Beach so that the young Cori would get better training opportunities in tennis. While her father became her primary coach, her mother, Candi, looked after her education. Soon, Gauff showed great promise on-court and turned pro in 2018. As she moved towards success on-court, her parents frequently cheered for her in the audience during several matches. 

Even during her historic U.S. Open victory (the first teenager to achieve this since 1999), her parents were there, supporting her. However, as fame came, it dragged various problems along, as she mentioned in the interview. Nevertheless, despite all the unwanted sides of it, Gauff is “grateful” for the position she is in.

Coco Gauff expresses gratitude for her “privileged position”

For any tennis player, being able to handle pressure on and off the court is a “must-have” skill. Coco Gauff, who heightened every tennis fan’s expectation after her Grand Slam victory at the U.S. Open, knows it very well. Nevertheless, tackling stressful situations on-court and dealing with fans and media did not come easy to her in the beginning. “At first, I used to think negative things. Like why is there so much pressure? Why is this so hard?,” she once said.

However, after realizing the everyday hardships and struggles of various people who have a hard time to feed their families, Coco Gauff’s perspective changed. “I’m in a very privileged position,” Coco explained. “I’m getting paid to do what I love and getting support to do what I love. That’s something that I don’t take for granted.”

Despite her surging popularity, Coco Gauff prioritizes staying grounded. This focus on humility, hopefully, will translate to her on-court performances, where fans can witness her exceptional tennis skills.