Coco Gauff was the star of the Rome Open main draw ceremony, where she was joined by teenager Tyra Grant (No. 335) – who recently switched her American flag to represent Italy and received a wildcard into the main draw, marking her WTA 1000 debut at just 17 years old.
If anyone knows about early debuts on the Tour, it is undoubtedly American Gauff, who at 21 years old boasts 9 professional titles, including the 2023 US Open, the 2024 WTA Finals, and two WTA 1000 titles at the Cincinnati Open and China Open.
Gauff began playing professionally at 14 in ITF tournaments, and less than a year later, she made her WTA debut after receiving a wildcard into the main draw of the Miami Open, where she also secured her first Tour-level victory against Caty McNally.
At just 15 years old, she achieved her first major upset by defeating five-time champion Venus Williams at Wimbledon and advancing to the fourth round – where she lost to the eventual champion Simona Halep. A couple of months later, she won her first professional title at the Linz Open, defeating Jelena Ostapenko in the final. Since then, Gauff has a total of 354 professional matches (248-106 record, 70%) and is still only 21 years old.
After several years of seeing Gauff as the youngest player in the biggest tournaments, new players of the same generation as the American have gradually emerged and are starting to gain positions among the best.
In a press conference before her Rome Open debut, as reported by Punto de Break, the former US Open champion spoke about the emergence of new players, even younger than her, and what they bring to the Tour. "From a competitive perspective, it doesn't matter to me," she stated.
Coco Gauff at Wimbledon 2019.
"When I was younger, I never cared about my age or other factors like that. Personally, it's great to have people my age on the Tour. I have always said that I found it hard to make friends on the tour when I first arrived because I was much younger than the rest, only 15 years old. There weren't other girls aged 15-16 playing these tournaments, the closest one maybe was Iga and she was 19-20."
"Now I have more peers, and that makes a difference, I see that I am in a different place, I can have more conversations and connect. I'm not saying the older ones weren't nice to me, they were, but it's just different, they were talking about getting married or planning their lives."
Currently, there are 10 players within the top-40 who are up to 22 years old – with the youngest being Mirra Andreeva at 18. On the other hand, in the top-100, there are 11 players who, like Gauff, were born in 2004 or later – highlighting names like Diana Shnaider (No. 11), Linda Noskova (No. 30), and Ashlyn Krueger (No. 37).
Top-100 players born since 2003
| Players | Year of Birth | Age | Ranking |
| Coco Gauff | 2004 | 21 | 3 |
| Mirra Andreeva | 2007 | 18 | 7 |
| Diana Shnaider | 2004 | 21 | 11 |
| Linda Noskova | 2004 | 20 | 30 |
| Ashlyn Krueger | 2004 | 20 | 37 |
| Polina Kudermetova | 2003 | 21 | 57 |
| Alexandra Eala | 2005 | 19 | 70 |
| Maya Joint | 2006 | 19 | 78 |
| Anca Todoni | 2004 | 20 | 91 |
| Erika Andreeva | 2004 | 20 | 98 |
| Aoi Ito | 2004 | 20 | 100 |
15-YEAR-OLD COCO GAUFF JUST DEFEATED VENUS WILLIAMS 😱 pic.twitter.com/6jXN29mp1n
— espnW (@espnW) July 1, 2019
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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