15-year-old prodigy Coco Gauff beat one of her idols, Venus Williams, in straight sets at Wimbledon today After the match, she was overcome with emotion and thanked Venus for inspiring her ✊ (via @Wimbledon)
"I don't think that love has swayed over the course of her career": Gauff expresses admiration for Venus Williams playing still at 43
WTAMonday, 03 July 2023 at 00:30
Coco Gauff expressed her admiration for Venus Williams and her love for tennis as she continues to compete at the age of 43.
In 2019, the young star and Williams faced each other in a memorable match at Wimbledon. Gauff, then just 15 years old, made her way from the qualifying rounds, becoming the youngest athlete to participate in the main draw at the All England Club.
In the first round, she was up against the 5-time Wimbledon champion, Venus Williams. In a dream day for Gauff, who was ranked 313th at the time, she defeated the 39-year-old Williams with a score of 6-4, 6-4. That match likely marked Coco's first significant result, propelling her to become one of the most dangerous players on the tour. Today, at 19 years old, she is an experienced player and a fixture in the top 10 rankings.
Despite injuries and her age, Venus Williams continues to compete on the WTA tour and received a wild card to play at Wimbledon, showing no intentions of retiring. Gauff expressed her admiration for the American legend and her continued presence on the tennis scene:
"Yeah, for me, Venus, the most inspiring thing about her is the love that she has for tennis. I don't think that love has swayed over the course of her career. I think you can see players who are older now. You can have a feeling they probably don't love it as much as they did when they started it. I don't have that feeling with Venus. I hope I'm the same way," she said.
"I don't think I'll be playing at 42, I believe (smiling). I don't think I'll be playing at that age. Maybe. I don't know. She said the same thing," Gauff added.
"I feel like I have that same hunger. I tried to continue to reach that level of hunger that she has for every point, no matter what tournament it is, Grand Slam or 250. It seems like she's just fighting for every point. I think that's the most inspiring things in my eyes of Venus Williams," she concluded.
Coco Gauff, as the 7th seed at Wimbledon, will face a tough opening round against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who successfully navigated the qualifying rounds and will arrive with good form on grass.
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