‘Coco Gauff, 12, wrote on Instagram she wanted to be the GOAT’ – Patrick Mouratoglou

Cori Gauff hit the headlines strong and loud last summer when she reached the 2nd week in Wimbledon after defeating her childhood idol Venus Williams at just 15 years of age. Later the young American confirmed her amazing potential when she conquered her first title in Linz. Coco also reached the second week at the Australian Open.

The American sensation has been training with Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou which is one of the brightest personalities in tennis. During a recent podcast with Daniela Hantuchova, Patrick explained how amazed he was when he saw Coco Gauff publicly stating on social media her will to be the greatest (not “only” the world no.1).

“I remember Coco Gauff when she was 12. And already on her Instagram account, under her name, she said ‘I wanted to be the greatest of all times’ which I think is too much when you are 12,” he recalled.

Then Patrick also added that he thought that the statement was a bit too much as Coco was putting too much pressure on her.

“I remember having a discussion with her father, and I asked him ‘do you think it’s right to say that’? I mean I have no problem if she believes it, I think it’s great. But to say it puts incredible pressure on her at 12 and she would have a lot of pressure to deal with. Is it necessary? And how do you think people are going to perceive it? People might think she is completely unrealistic to say something like this at 12,” he said.

While Coco’s father agreed with Patrick, he confirmed that she was able to cope with the pressure. Then the Frenchman stressed the fact that Coco’s recent runs at the slam were just amazing.

“Can you believe at 15 she qualifies for the Wimbledon for the first time of her life, she plays Venus and she beats her. You have to beleive youserlfe a bit to do that. And she beats her again in Australia and she defeated Osaka the defending champion. In all those matches only the player who believes in herself incredibly can win those matches,” Mouratoglou said.

Coco is currently out of competition with the tours halted by the Coronavirus pandemic. however, she is quite active on social media to raise her voice against the recent episodes in the US that followed the despicable murder of George Floyd.

Cori Gauff in 2020

Now the world no.52, the American played her last match on the 26^th of January when she was defeated by Sofia Kenin 6-7⁵ 6-3 6-0 in the 4^th round of the Australian Open.