Coco Gauff inspired by Serena Williams wants to be the GOAT. Auckland next step

Serena Williams is one of the Coco Gauff’s biggest inspirations. According to her, her idol motivates her to be a great player.

Serena Williams Coco Gauff

Fifteen-year-old tennis prodigy Coco Gauff said that her idol Serena Williams inspires her to be the next GOAT.

The 15-year old tennis star has always been outspoken about her admiration for the Williams sisters. Just like her idols, she also said that she plans to become world no. 1 and win Grand Slam tournaments in the future. She even said how she wants to be the next GOAT.

Gauff has the full backing of her parents in her quest to achieve her dreams. Her parents, Cori and Candi Gauff, even left their jobs when she was young to help her carve a career in professional tennis.

 

Coco Gauff, Serena Williams celebrate pre-season training together

As both of them prepare for the start of the tennis season, Coco Gauff and Serena Williams have been seen training and partying together.

The two tennis stars, both coached by French-Greek trainer Patrick Mouratoglou, were at Florida’s Boca Raton Resort and Club in the middle of December for a preseason training camp. They posted a lot of pictures and videos on their respective social media accounts, detailing how much they enjoyed their time together.

In one of the videos uploaded online, Gauff and Williams joined in on a choreographed dance routine. The two players show off their incredible dance moves in the clip.

They were joined by fellow tennis players Holger Rune and Chris Eubanks. DJ Bob Sinclar, boxer Mike Tyson, and fitness influencer Shaun T were also in attendance.

Williams on ASB Classic

Meanwhile, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has already arrived in Auckland for the upcoming ASB Classic.

This is William’s first return to the Auckland tennis competition since 2017. Back then, she surprisingly exited the competition in the second round after she lost to Madison Brengle.

Despite her 2017 loss in the competition, she used the momentum to clinch her record-extending 23rd Grand Slam. She achieved this in the 2017 Australian Open a few weeks after the Auckland tournament.

Gauff’s rise

The year 2019 saw Coco Gauff become a legitimate young star in the tennis courts. She caught the media’s attention when she became a wildcard entry in Wimbledon. She surprised everyone when she defeated Venus Williams in the first round of the competition. She reached the fourth round of the competition, losing to eventual champ Simona Halep.

She continued her breakthrough year to the U.S. Open. However, she lost to defending titleholder Naomi Osaka.

She also reached her career-high ranking in the singles and doubles categories last year. She is at no. 68 in WTA singles and no. 78 in WTA doubles.

Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2020

Serena Williams Stats info

Now the world no.10, Serena Williams played her last match on the 7th of September when she had to surrender to Bianca Vanessa Andreescu 6-3 7-5 in the final in U.S. Open.

Cori Gauff’s ranking and performance in 2020

Cori Gauff Stats info

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.

Serena Williams and Cori Gauff have never played each other.