With her triumph over Qinwen Zheng in the summit clash in Riyadh, Coco Gauff became the youngest American winner at the event since Serena Williams. Despite having to make changes in her coaching staff in September and parting ways with Brad Gilbert, she teamed up with Matt Daly. And, Since then Gauff’s determination has shone through. She previously claimed the China Open and now added the WTA Finals trophy to her collection. The 20-year-old is honored to follow the footsteps of her idol – Serena Willaims.

In an intense final, Gauff triumphed over Qinwen Zheng with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2). The match lasted three hours and four minutes, making it the longest final in WTA Finals history. After this victory, even Serena’s former coach, Rennae Stubbs, highlighted this achievement on her podcast, stating, “It’s so interesting to me that Coco just gives so much credit to Serena.”

After her win, Gauff shared a photo on her Instagram story, where she was holding her trophy beside a picture of Serena from her 2014 victory. She captioned it simply, “an honor.”

On November 11, Stubbs praised Gauff’s stellar performance on her podcast. Stating that she was resilient despite earlier setbacks against Barbora Krejcikova. Noting how much Gauff looks up to Serena and Venus. She added, “Because without them, it’s arguably that she would not have played tennis.”

Stubbs’ co-host, Kaitlin Thompson recalled a nostalgic moment from Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day in 2012 when a young Gauff danced behind Venus Williams. Stubbs pointed out how such events inspire kids to dream big, “This is what Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is for. It’s for kids to see and dream big. If they can see it and can be it.” Earlier this year, Gauff also posted on X about it, as she wrote, “If this isn’t proof that your dreams are closer than you think, then idk [I don’t know] what is.”

Although Gauff faced challenges at the US Open in 2024, she celebrated her first major singles title at the Flushing Meadow in 2023. Now, she’s emulated Serena Williams by winning the WTA Finals title at such a young age.

Analysts attribute her impressive performance to her new coach, Matt Daly. While she won major titles with Gilbert as well, Gauff is excited about what lies ahead with Daly in the 2025 season. Rick Macci, another former coach of Serena Williams, also believes in Gauff’s potential for next season.

Macci warns WTA players about Coco’s rise in the 2025 season

After Coco Gauff’s triumph at the WTA Finals, On November 10th, Rick Macci, also a former coach of Serena, celebrated her achievement on social media. Praising her potential with an enthusiastic message on X, he wrote, “What I love about Coco Gauff’s game is she can and will improve a lot more as she already has the internal wiring of a champion and the blazing foot speed of a world-class track athlete. Fasten WTA seat belt as a new sheriff is coming to town 2025. @CocoGauff.”

From the looks of it, Coco is making strides with Daly. After parting ways with Brad Gilbert in September, she quickly found her rhythm at the Asian swing and triumphed at the China Open against Karolína Muchova with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Now that she’s the WTA Finals champion, her 2025 season is looking pretty good.

When her partnership with Daly was announced, Gauff expressed excitement about working with him, stating, “I think this is probably what it will look like next year too. I’m super excited for a new change and hopefully to improve other parts of my game.” In the past, Daly has coached former world No. 4 James Blake and current ATP star Denis Shapovalov. And seeing the way things are going for Gauff, it’s promising for her future!

With this newfound consistency and momentum, do you think Gauff is poised to enter the 2025 season with renewed energy and confidence? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!