Coco Gauff is the newest Grand Slam champion! The American tennis player, who is only 19 years old, has become one of the youngest people to have ever won the U.S. Open in September 2023. Keep reading to learn more about the young athlete, details on her life and more.
Who Is Coco Gauff?
Coco was born on March 13, 2004 (a Pisces), in Atlanta, Georgia, to two parents with NCAA Division I collegiate backgrounds in basketball and track and field. She started playing tennis when she was 6 years old, and her family soon moved to Delray Beach, Florida, where she would compete in major tennis competitions. Coco’s parents gave up their careers to focus on training their daughter in tennis, with her father, Corey, later becoming her primary coach, while her mother, Candi, overseeing her homeschooling.
In 2018, Coco became the No. 1 junior in the world after winning the junior 2018 French Open singles title, also winning a junior major doubles title at the 2018 U.S. Open. At the age of 10 years old, Coco began to train at the Mouratoglou Academy in France run by Patrick Mouratoglou, who is the longtime coach of tennis legen, Serena Williams.
“I’ll always remember the first time I saw Coco,” Mouratoglou said during an interview at Wimbledon in July 2019. “She came over to the Mouratoglou Academy in 2014 to try out and she impressed me with her determination, athleticism and fighting spirit…. When she looks at you and tells you she will be number one, you can only believe it.”
Did Coco Gauff Win the 2023 U.S. Open?
On September 9, 2023, the 19-year-old tennis star made history, becoming the youngest American to win the U.S. Open women’s title since Serena Williams in 1999. It was Coco’s first major title with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
“It’s still crazy,” the star athlete said of her win during an episode of the TODAY Show in September 2023. “Even last night I was telling myself, ‘You’re a Grand Slam champion,’ and it doesn’t feel real at all.”
After winning, she explained that she got down on her knees to say a prayer.
“I was just saying thank you and I understood like all the tough times were just to make that moment even sweeter. I think if it came easy, I wouldn’t feel as appreciative as I did in that moment,” she said.
The tennis player also revealed that the timing of her victory felt meant to be.
“Obviously when you’re losing, you’re like, ‘Why isn’t it happening now?’ It couldn’t have been any more perfect than this moment, doing it in the U.S., in New York City, it’s just incredible.”
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