This is what Federer said to Coco Gauff

The 15-year-old has had a breakout year and has revealed she received some advice from the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

Federer and Gauff

Coco Gauff sensational 2019 continued this month. The 15-year-old captured the world’s attention earlier this year after she reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon. Her run in the tournament included a victory over Venus Williams. The American won the Linz Open this last week to record her first WTA singles title. She has revealed that her performances have improved after following the advice of one of the greatest players in the game.

Gauff has said that she had a talk with Roger Federer last year after the Australian Open. She lost in the first round after going in as one of the favorites. In an interview with AFP, the 15-year-old said she received some words of wisdom from the former world number one. “He told me not to focus too much on the pressure or the outside drama. He gave me some perspective.” Coco said that since having the talk, she has focused on her game and enjoy tennis. Federer’s sports agency, Team 8, also manages her.

Gauff idolizing Serena and Venus Williams

The 15-year-old’s rise has been a major highlight of the tennis season. Despite her success at an early age, she says she would like to be as dominant as the Williams sisters. Gauff has on many occasions expressed her admiration for Serena and Venus. She has called them her idols. The 15-year-old has a poster of Serena in her room. After defeating Venus at Wimbledon, the American had a talk with her after the match. She thanked her for being a role model and an inspiration. Gauff would like to inspire other young girls to follow their dreams, just as the Williams sisters inspired her.

Coco’s first title in Linz

After winning the Linz Open last week, Gauff became the youngest champion since Nicole Vaidisova. Nicole won the Vancouver Open at 15 years of age in 2004. Coco had lost in qualifying in Austria. She, however, received a second chance after Maria Sakkari withdrew because of an injury. The 15-year-old capitalized on the opportunity and made it to the final. Her most notable win came in the quarterfinals when she defeated Kiki Bertens. The victory was her first over an opponent ranked in the top ten. She defeated the 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the final. Her performance at the tournament will see her move into the top 100 of the WTA rankings. She will also qualify for the Australian Open next year.

Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019

Roger Federer Stats info

Ranked no.3, Roger played his last match on the 11th of October when he had to bow to Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-77 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.

This year the Swiss has a 45-8 win-loss record. Federer conquered 3 titles in 2019 in Dubai, in Miami and in Halle. Federer was the finalist in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon.

Cori Gauff’s ranking and performance in 2019

Cori Gauff Stats info

Ranked no.71 (career-high), the American played her last match on the 16th of October when she surrendered to Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-0 in the 1st round in Luxembourg.

This year Gauff has a 18-8 win-loss record. Cori clinched 1 title in Linz.

Roger Federer and Cori Gauff

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