Cori Gauff has won the Orange Bowl in Florida and is the youngest winner since Anna Kournikova in 1995 at the probably most prestigious youth tournament.
Cori, called “Coco”, never had fear of contact with Gauff. At Wimbledon the youngest number one in the Junior Ranking to date was photographed with Roger Federer. And, of course, posted the photo on Instagram. She used the goat Emoji as a commentary on the Swiss. G.O.A.T. – Greatest of all time.
Similarly playful, but therefore not less cool, but mercilessly determined, Gauff also presents himself on the court. And the US-American from Atlanta, a child prodigy, seems to be withstanding the already noticeable pressure.
At the weekend, the 14-year-old won the Orange Bowl in Plantation/Florida as the top seed and finished her season in a fitting manner after winning the French Open Junior title in June. It was her first major coup in the junior section.
In the final of the unofficial Junior World Championships Gauff won 6:1, 3:6, 6:4 against Qinwen Zheng from China, who was in second place. Another milestone, but also just a transit station.
For US tennis, Gauff is something like the promise of a rosy future. And the power player seems to bring everything with her, perhaps to follow in Serena Williams’ footsteps. Gauff even has a poster of the 23-time Grand Slam winner hanging in her room. “It reminds me of what I want to achieve,” she says.
Williams, however, is not the ultimate plus-ultra for the self-confident teenager who hit the balls against the garage door even as a small child. “I want to be the greatest of all time – better than Serena. And hold the Grand Slam record.” Period. Any questions?! Barbara Rittner, Head of Womens Tennis at the DTB, also raved about the qualities of the young hopeful in the past.
Gauff actually has the best prerequisites for the big breakthrough. Her father, Corey, was a basketball player at Georgia State University in Atlanta, and her mother, Candi, was an athlete at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
To give her daughter better training opportunities, the five-member family moved from the Olympic city to Delray Beach/Florida in 1996. Candi Gauff ficts as a teacher and teaches “Coco” at home.
Gauff had already reached the final of the US Open in 2017 before becoming the second youngest French Open Junior winner after Martina Hingis (1994/Switzerland) in June 2018. And: Everything also seems to be prepared for a special career in the environment. Gauff, currently number 870 in the WTA ranking, is managed by the agency “Team8”. Co-founder is none other than Roger Federer.
Gauff is also well equipped with self-confidence. In all her admiration for her famous countrywoman, she says: “I won’t be the next Serena Williams. I’ll be the first Coco Gauff!”