"I was waiting for Coco to get there" - Maria Sharapova believes the young American will transcend tennis

Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova returned to her old stomping grounds during the Championships this week, where the retired Russian tennis star was full of praise for rising American prodigy, Coco Gauff.

Sharapova won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, defeating WTA legend Serena Williams in the final at just the age of 17. The Russian would go on to have a distinguished career, winning a total of five Grand Slam titles and attaining the World No.1 position during her almost 20-year timeline on the WTA circuit.

The former World No.1 was one of several stars present in the Royal box during Wimbledon this week. Sharapova spent time showing her son, Theodore, around the grounds and also interacted with her countrywomen behind the scenes.

In an interview with The Tennis Channel, Sharapova spoke about her memorable Wimbledon title run in 2004, and gave some thoughts on Gauff's meteoric rise to stardom.

"I think Coco has a voice and a platform that will transcend sports," said the 39-year old. "As we know now, tennis is not just sport: it's fashion, it's art, it's culture, it's having a platform, and I think she does that. She was the brilliant ability to bring all of those elements together. I was waiting for Coco to get there.
"So, I remember going to the first round of her match, which was tough at the US Open, and then I went home and thought about coming back and just wanting to see her win because I think she has such an incredible head on her shoulders."