Coco Gauff: A Heavy Crown - Issue #27
Since we first saw Coco as a 15-year-old, she's surpassed all that you'd think is possible for a teenager. But still, expectations weigh heavily and have become a recurring theme in her young story.
Written by Dove Sallow
Almost four years ago, on the freshly shaved green grass of Wimbledon, a hopeful 15-year-old girl stepped onto the court and faced one of her greatest idols. The woman across the net from her had seven Grand Slam titles to her name, with five of them coming at the All England Club. The teenager had none. The woman across the net had been ranked as high as world #1. The teenager was ranked #313 and had to qualify just to get into the main draw. The woman on the other side of the net had won two Wimbledon titles before the teenager was even born. Comparing experience, age, titles, and prize money would serve no real purpose because the two players had very little in common. But if you were to stop time for a moment, if you were to take a breath and admire the beauty of the match, you would see that these two women shared a true connection. The seven-time Major champ went by the name of Venus Williams. The 15 year old girl - Coco Gauff. Coco would go on to win that First Round Wimbledon match 6-4, 6-4. On the very same grounds where Venus Williams had etched her name into history on five separate occasions, Coco Gauff began her quest to carve out a legacy of her own.
“Honestly, I don't really know how to feel. This was definitely the first time I ever cried after a match or winning. Obviously, I've cried when I've lost before. But I just don't know how to explain how I feel."
3 years and 8 months have passed since that match. Coco is now 18 years old and has gone on to reach a career-high ranking of No. 4. She's reached a Grand Slam Singles Final (Roland Garros 2022) and two Grand Slam Doubles Finals (US Open 2021; Roland Garros 2022) and has also been ranked No. 1 in doubles. Gauff qualified for the Year End Championships for the first time at the end of 2022. She has garnered $5,891,108 in prize money. That's an awful lot for a teenager to accomplish in the span of 3 years. Watching her compete against women 10 years her senior for the biggest titles in the sport, it's easy to forget that she's still so young. In all sincerity, Coco carries herself with more composure and poise than a large number of players on tour, yet she's still a kid. Because of this, the tennis world has a tendency to put unnecessary expectations and pressures on her. Tennis commentators and sports enthusiasts have been predicting it will be "her year" to win a Grand Slam for the last two years. Of course, I understand the excitement surrounding Coco - there's a lot to get excited about. "If she's this good as a teenager, how could she not win a Grand Slam in the next year or two?" I imagine this is the mentality used when commentators and the media constantly question and attempt to predict when the Grand Slam title will come. But you wouldn't put those kinds of expectations on any other teenager. So ask yourself, is it fair to put that weight on Coco? Is her talent sensational? Yes. Is she composed? Absolutely. Does she have the mentality of a champion? Beyond a shadow of a doubt. But is it fair to put an increasing amount of pressure on her year after year to win a Grand Slam as a teenager? I don't believe it is. She's already achieved unfathomable things, not just for an 18-year-old, but for anyone who hopes to pick up a tennis racquet.
Sadly, the unnecessary pressures bestowed on the American don't stop there. Coco has been compared to both Serena and Venus Williams ever since that first match at Wimbledon. As I pointed out in my opening statement, Coco and Venus didn't have that much in common (especially in that First Round Wimbledon match). Venus and Serena have both reached the pinnacle of their success. They've achieved their life-long dreams, broken down barriers, and won everything tennis has to offer and more. That's not to say that Coco won't achieve her dreams and go on to break down barriers of her own. But my point is that she should be given the breathing room and freedom to just be Coco Gauff. Let her rise to the highest mountains, and let her fail when she fails. Comparisons to two all time greats are not helpful when a player is still developing. When Venus and Serena first burst onto the scene, tennis was sadly still very much a country club sport. Apart from Althea Gibson (who was a trailblazer herself), there weren't many successful African American women in the sport to cast a looming shadow over the Williams sisters as they set out to achieve their dreams. Venus and Serena broke down countless walls and began to open doors that should have never been closed in the first place. Tennis had been "kept" from people of color for so long that when the Williams sisters arrived, the reception wasn't entirely welcoming. They had to overcome racism, prejudice, and hate just to play the sport they loved. But one thing they didn't have to face was an endless slew of comparisons to someone else's history. They didn't live in the shadow of another black woman who came before them. Of course, it's human nature to make comparisons. So the Gauff/Williams Sisters comparisons will probably never end. I realize the comparisons are meant as the highest compliment. But at the same time, Gauff is an exceptional tennis player in her own right. I'd love nothing more than to watch her flourish, without the pressures of being a teenage Grand Slam Champion, without the comparisons to the two most timeless athletes women's tennis has seen. If she's truly given her own "space" in the tennis world, I believe we'll finally witness ALL that this young woman can do.
As I stated earlier, there’s so much to be excited about with Coco Gauff. Her serve is one of the fastest on the WTA tour, she has one of the best backhands, and she moves like lightning on the court. The American is also very comfortable at the net, thanks to all the doubles she plays. When she’s on the court, she’s all business. Her facial expression switches from the one you’d expect to see on a teenager to something much more serious. She becomes dialed in and seems fully committed to the atmosphere that tennis demands. I actually had the pleasure of meeting both Coco and her dad, Corey, at the WTA 500 event in San Diego last year. I can confirm that both of them were incredibly kind. Corey is as friendly a guy as you’ll ever meet and seems like a super dad figure. My boyfriend and co-founder of The Tennis Letter was actually so nervous when we met him that he referred to him as Chris several times. My heart sank every time he did that. Mostly because we’re both huge fans of Coco and her story. But also because we know his name is Corey! (Who doesn’t know that Coco is named Cori after her dad at this point… duh). Not our proudest moment in tennis journalism. But Corey shook it off in good humor and even gave us our first interview. Coco is quiet, polite, and soft-natured. Just by spending 20 minutes with them, you can tell this girl was raised right. They were both incredibly humble people. They seem like a totally normal father and teenage daughter, and they are. Apart from the fact that they’re harnessing a rather brilliant young talent.
The significance of that First Round match at Wimbledon between Coco Gauff and Venus Williams was lost on the vast majority of people. Many hailed it as a "passing of the torch." Others described it as "the end of an era." Some called it "turning the chapter" to the next generation of talent. But the truth is, the match was none of those things. As they exchanged blows from the baseline, powerful first serves, and aptly timed "Come on's," it dawned on me that 15-year-old Coco Gauff was the first we'd seen of the footprint Venus and Serena left on tennis. From the powerful serve to the fierce on-court presence, it was apparent that Coco had grown up watching Venus and Serena and was inspired by all that they’d done. The fruits of their labor had finally come to fruition; but it had been a long road. Even when the Williams Sisters won their first Grand Slams and reached the No. 1 ranking, they still had to bare the scars of racism and judgment for many years. Before them, black men and women were never fully embraced in the sport. They had to work twice as hard just to get their foot in the door. They had to believe twice as much just to even dare to dream. Coco Gauff is so much more than an 18-year-old tennis player and deserves better than to live out her career chasing the shadows of the Williams Sisters. And I believe to my core that Venus and Serena wouldn't want that for her. The Williams Sisters did not break down the barriers they broke so that other young, black women could live in their shadows. They broke down barriers so people of color could be crowned in a sport that was so closed off. So young kids like Coco Gauff knew it was possible to dominate this sport, to be black, and to be welcomed in a place where they should've been welcomed from the very beginning. For those who understood the true meaning that First Round Wimbledon match held, they saw two proud and powerful black women on each side of the net, playing in the oldest tennis tournament in existence. One woman had opened doors for another. The younger woman walked through those doors. With poise and grace, Coco Gauff knew it was her time to leave her own footprints... to write her own history.
You can watch our interview with Corey Gauff here.
Want to keep up with Coco Gauff? Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
