2019 was Coco Gauff’s breakthrough year in the world of tennis. She first qualified for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament in the Wimbledon games in London, defeating tennis icon Venus Williams.
She continued her impressive performance in the U.S. Open in New York City. The young American sailed through the first two rounds before she had to bow down to defending champion Naomi Osaka. It was one of the major reasons Gauff has been compared to Serena Williams, who also started young in the sport.
Similarities between their backgrounds
With her swift rise as a tennis star, a lot of fans and pundits cannot help but compare her career path to that of the Williams sisters. Richard, the legendary sibling’s father played a vital role in his daughter’s success. He already planned their path to becoming tennis stars even before they were born.
It was not like that with Gauff’s case. Coco’s parents followed what Richard did for his daughters. The 15-year old’s mother Candi had to end her career as an educator while her father Corey had to walk away from his lucrative job as a healthcare executive.
Just like the Williams patriarch, Corey also only had little knowledge and expertise in tennis. During the early days, Gauff kept everything that goes into their daughter’s career in-house. Candi helped out by making sure that Coco is doing well at school. They both helped Coco work towards being a professional tennis player, with Corey serving as her coach.
With both Corey and Candi concentrating on their daughter’s career, the family did not have the luxury to spend too much money on Coco’s training. Because of this, Coco was not able to attend lucrative tennis academies. That did not stop Coco, who still managed to hold her own against many players who are much more experienced than her.
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Shared coach
Another reason why Gauff is being hailed as the next Serena Williams is the fact that they share a coach. When she was 10, Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, started training with her. She has been training in his tennis facilities in southern France for five years now.
When asked about the similarities between the career paths of the tennis icon and the rising star, Mouratoglou said that he does not have the habit of comparing players. He still thinks that Williams is the greatest player of all time. But he also acknowledged that Gauff has what it takes, especially because she is so driven. He even said that there are “no limits” when it comes to Gauff’s career aspirations.
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Cori Gauff’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.68 (career-high), Cori played her last match on the 16th of October when she had to bow to Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-0 in the 1st round in Luxembourg.
This year the American has a 18-8 win-loss record. The American conquered 1 title in Linz.
Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.10, Serena played her last match on the 7th of September when she was defeated by Bianca Vanessa Andreescu 6-3 7-5 in the final in U.S. Open.
Serena Williams’s best performance of the current season was reaching the final in at the U.S. Open, Toronto and in Wimbledon.
Cori Gauff and Serena Williams have never played each other.
