Coco Gauff is a teenage tennis sensation. She has been playing professionally for a few years and finally won her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the 2023 US Open, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Coco Gauff has shown incredible poise and character since she arrived on the pro tennis scene. In this post, we will find out more about Coco Gauff. Let’s get started.
Coco Gauff: All You Need To Know
The headlines of sports news portals were full of words about the new tennis superstar from America after Coco Gauff’s triumph at the US Open. Since childhood, she already knew that she wanted to play tennis. The American has confidently conquered the world courts, demonstrating excellent technique and dynamic play. These qualities have allowed her to gain a huge army of fans across the globe.
When was Coco Gauff born?
Coco Gauff was born Cori Dionne Gauff on March 13, 2004, in Delray Beach. Her father, also named Coco, played basketball in college and then went into health care. Coco Gauff’s mother was involved in athletics. The tennis star has two younger brothers, Cody and Cameron. Coco Gauff generally uses the name Coco instead of Cori professionally.
How did Coco Gauff start playing tennis?
Coco Gauff spent her childhood in Atlanta. At the age of four, Coco saw a broadcast of the Australian Open, where Serena Williams won. That inspired Coco Gauff to play sports as well.
Her parents helped her decide, and took her to sports clubs in different directions. By the age of six, little Gauff made a choice in favor of tennis. As she later admitted in an interview, playing in a team was not for her; as she likes to fight on her own.
So that Coco could train professionally, the family moved back to Delray Beach. Both parents gave up their careers and devoted all their efforts to developing their daughter’s talent. At the age of 10, she began training at the Mouratoglou Academy in France, which was run by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ coach. Patrick also helped with financing the young athlete.
Coco Gauff: Tennis Career
Junior Career
In 2016, Coco Gauff participated in the prestigious Les Petit As tournament and immediately reached the semi-finals. She made her junior Grand Slam debut in 2017 and again finished second, losing to Amanda Anisimova. The athlete became the youngest girls singles finalist in the history of the US Open.
At the French Open, she won her first junior Grand Slam tournament in her sports biography, defeating compatriot Katie McNeilly in three sets. The American became the fifth youngest champion among girls in the history of Roland Garros.
Senior Professional Career
At the age of 14, tennis player Coco participated in professional ITF tournaments. After qualifying for the US Open, she lost her first match. After failing to qualify for the French Open, Gauff was able to qualify for Wimbledon. In her debut match, the tennis player beat Venus Williams in straight sets.
The American continued her victorious march and defeated Magdalena Rybarikova from Slovakia. These matches caused a real stir and became the most watched. In 2019, the young sports star won the Open Championship in Luxembourg paired with Katie McNeilly. And in October of the same year, she became the youngest WTA title holder.
The next year, 2020, was also successful in the athlete’s career. At the Australian Open, Gauff beat Venus Williams in the first round and Sorana Cirstea in the second. Coco was expected to compete at the Australian Open early next year. Competing with her rivals, she showed a bright and dynamic game, but could not make it to the semifinals. The tennis player’s 35th rank in singles ensured her participation in the Dubai Open, where she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova, Tereza Martintsova, and others.
In May, Gauff reached her first semi-final at a WTA 1000 event at the Italian Open due to Ashleigh Barty, then the No. 1 tennis player, withdrawing with a right hand injury in her quarter-final match. In light of these circumstances, an American entered the top 30 for the first time in a while. Then she won the singles and doubles (with McNeilly) categories at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma. She became the youngest player to win both the singles and doubles titles at the tournament since Maria Sharapova did so at the 2004 Birmingham Classic.
Thus, Gauff rose in the world rankings to 25th place in singles and 41st in doubles. Coco Gauff became the youngest American woman in the top 25. The tennis player’s performances at the French Open and Wimbledon were also successful.
Coco was also invited to participate in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She became the second-youngest U.S. athlete after Jennifer Capriati, who competed at 16, and the youngest Olympic tennis player since Mario Ancic, who competed at the Games in 2000.
In 2022, Coco continued to appear at various tournaments, where she demonstrated both success and defeat.
Now the tennis player continues her sports career. From the very beginning of 2023, she participated in various competitions. At the Australian Open, Gauff, paired with compatriot Jessica Pegula, reached the penultimate stage, but then the Americans lost to Japanese representatives Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara. In a number of subsequent tournaments, the American duo’s play was generally successful.
At the end of the summer, Gauff was in the lead at the WTA 1000, held in Cincinnati. One step away from the final competition, she was able to beat the Polish tennis player Iga Szwiatek, whom she had met on the court several times during her career.
US Open Triumph
At the US Open, Coco Gauff, heading into the final stage with confidence, beat Elise Mertens, Jelena Ostapenko, and Karolina Muchova. On September 9, 2023, Coco Gauff beat Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the final to lift her first ever grand slam title. Coco Gauff received a prize money of $3 million for winning the tournament and climbed to a career best world number 3 in the WTA rankings.
How tall is Coco Gauff?
Coco Gauff is 176 cm tall.
How much does Coco Gauff weigh?
Coco Gauff weighs 64 kg.
Who is Coco Gauff dating?
As for Coco’s personal life, her heart is occupied, but the American woman is in no hurry to reveal the name of her lover to the press, nor to post joint photos. On the eve of the final match of the US Open in 2023, the tennis player talked with her boyfriend on the phone until one in the morning.
What does Coco Gauff enjoy outside of tennis?
The athlete, like many of her friends, loves listening to hip-hop and rap, watching beauty bloggers on YouTube, and chatting with her friends via video calling. On Instagram, the tennis player publishes photos and videos from training, where they are appreciated by hundreds of thousands of fans.
