"I'm not going to sit here and be like, 'Oh, I'm shocked": Gauff on being mentioned alongside Serena Williams after making US Open semi-final

America’s young tennis star Coco Gauff has stated that she is no longer surprised after being mentioned in the same conversation as the former world number one Serena Williams.

The 19-year-old has been a real sensation in the ongoing US Open 2023 where she has booked her place in the semifinal after defeating Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets with a score of 6-0, 6-2.

That victory put Gauff just one win away from becoming the youngest to reaching the US Open final since 1999 when Serena cemented her place in the grand finale of the mega-event in New York.

Gauff was quoted in a report where she stated that it is still nothing short of an honour to be named with someone like Serena who is arguably the greatest women’s player in the history of the sport.

"It means a lot to me,” she said. “I mean, being in any sentence with her is great. I mean, she's the greatest player of all time. You know, I'm nothing close to that yet. I'm just really honored to be in the same sentence as her.

"It's something that I'm used to a lot. So, you know, I'm not gonna sit here and be like, 'Oh, I'm shocked', but I feel like a lot of the stats have aligned with her, and people find new things to think about.

"I was the first teenager in the quarters and now semis, so I'm guessing if I win, they're going to be, like, finals. It's just going to keep going.

"Like I said, I never take it for granted. She's my idol. I think if you told me when I was younger that I would be in these same stat lines as her, I would freak out. But it is a cool moment to have that stat alongside her.”