Coco Gauff is not going to deny that she inherited her father’s burning passion for her sport.
The 15-year old rising star admits that she got her stubbornness from her father Corey. Speaking to SI, Gauff said that her fiery persona helps her be a better player in the tennis court. She, however, clarified that she has a better hold of her temper than her father.
She also compliments how her mother Candi shaped her temperament in the tennis court. According to her, her mother has a more relaxed attitude. She said that her mother helped her develop patience that made her a better player.
Coco Gauff’s parents on her immense skills
One of Gauff’s biggest advantages is the fact that she has a strong support system in her parents.
During this year’s Linz Open in Austria, Corey was recorded saying motivational lines to her daughter. He explained how she should let her skills speak for itself.
Corey has also been active in pushing back against calling her daughter a prodigy. He thinks that the word is not applicable to her daughter because she worked hard on improving her skills in the past years.
When asked about the huge amount of pressure that their daughter faces, her father said that it was Coco who really wanted to become a big tennis star. In fact, he and Candi wanted her to have a normal childhood. But since Coco had an ambitious dream, they helped her achieve what she wanted.
Gauff’s increasing popularity
The 15-year old WTA player became one of 2019’s breakout stars in the tennis world.
Gauff became a mainstay in tennis headlines after she defeated her idol, Venus Williams, during the opening round of Wimbledon. She eventually lost in the fourth round of the London tournament.
She also had a memorable game against fellow teen tennis star Naomi Osaka in the US Open. She lost to Osaka, settling for a third-round exit.
Gauff’s parents
Gauff’s parents had devoted a big amount of their time to building up their daughter’s career.
Both of them left their jobs when it seemed like Coco was serious about tennis. Corey, who was then working as an executive on a healthcare company, served as her full-time coach. Candi, on the other hand, used her experience as an educator to homeschool her daughter as she trained.
It also helps that her parents understood her passion for sports. The two of them were former athletes too. Corey was previously a basketball player in Georgia State University while Candi was at Florida State University as a hurdler and heptathlete.
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 surrendered to Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-0 in the 1st round in Luxembourg.
This year the American has a 18-8 win-loss record. Gauff won her maiden career title in Linz.