Coco Gauff's path to becoming one of the best of women's tennis
How did Coco Gauff go from being a young prodigy to one of the game's stars? Find out everything you need to know below.
Tennis
Coco Gauff started the 2024 tennis season with a big win, beating Emma Navarro and Elina Svitolina on the way to taking the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. She’s ranked third in the world, and is looking to add to her trophy case this year. How did she get here? Let’s take a look at Gauff’s biggest moments.
Gauff’s early years
Gauff made her pro debut with the ITF women’s circuit when she was just 14 years old, and won her first pro match. In fact, she made it to the round of 16 in that first tournament, and did the same in her next ITF tournament. Gauff earned a wildcard entry to the U.S. Open in 2018, but lost in her first match.
It was in 2019 when Gauff got her biggest win up until that point. At Wimbledon, she beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 before bowing out in the fourth round of the tournament. Later, after winning the U.S. Open in 2023, Gauff talked about how important Williams and her sister Serena were to her.
“They're the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest. They have allowed me to believe in this dream growing up. There weren't too many just Black tennis players dominating the sport. When I was younger, it was just them that I can remember,” Gauff said.
Breakthrough in Australia
In 2020, Gauff started the year with big wins at the Australian Open. She beat both Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka on her way to the round of 16. With COVID-19 suspending much of tennis after the Australian, she couldn’t keep her momentum going to get back to the same levels of success she had earlier in the year.
Still, she was able to make steady progress in 2021, getting to the quarterfinals at the French Open, her best Grand Slam result to date. She was selected to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympics, but Gauff tested positive for COVID-19 before the Olympics, and wasn’t able to compete.
"It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future," a disappointed Gauff said at the time.
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Leveling up
Starting 2022, Gauff was ranked 22nd in the world. She overcame early losses at the beginning of the year, and made it to her first Grand Slam final at the French Open. Gauff faced Iga Swiatek, then the top-ranked women’s tennis player, and lost 6-1, 6-3.
In the doubles tournament, she enjoyed more success, again reaching the final alongside partner Jessica Pegula and only narrowly missing out on the title after a 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 loss to Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.
She carried that momentum in 2023, starting the year by winning at Auckland. But it was at the U.S. Open in New York in the late summer when Gauff really showed what she was capable of. Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka, ranked second at the time, and Karolina Muchova, ranked 10th at the time, to win her first Grand Slam.
And, as a tennis player who has at times shouldered the burden of being compared unfavourably to other great American stars such as the Williams sisters, Gauff had a message for her doubters.
"Thank you to the people who didn't believe in me," she said in an on-court interview after the final. "A month ago I won a [WTA] 500 title and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago I won a [WTA] 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get. So three weeks later I'm here with this trophy right now... for those who thought you were putting water on my fire you were really adding gas to it."
Gauff started 2024 by winning the ASB Classic in Auckland, and is ranked third in the world. She now goes into the Australian Open as a deserved favourite and will surely be one of the stars to watch with Paris 2024 only seven months away.