Coco Gauff, the American teen tennis sensation, has accomplished yet another feat that had not happened since her idol Serena Williams performed the feat.
Gauff became the first American pro tennis player to end the year ranked in the top three in both the singles and doubles tours since Williams did that back in 2009.
Gauff and fellow star Jessica Pegula made it to the semifinals in doubles in 2023 in the Australian Open and French Open, though it remains uncertain if the pair will play together in 2024.
This momentous accomplishment comes about three months after Gauff captured her first Grand Slam tennis tournament in thrilling fashion by defeating the world’s No. 1 ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, at the U.S. Open in New York. She became the first teen to win a Grand Slam tournament since Williams also did that at the U.S. Open in 1999.
A euphoric Gauff was still walking on air when she addressed the Williams sisters’ influence over her life and career during her post-U.S. Open title win, according to Tennis World.
“Yes, it’s crazy. I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest. They have allowed me to believe in this dream, you know, growing up. You know, there weren’t too many just Black tennis players dominating the sport.
“It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember. Obviously, more came because of their legacy. So it made the dream more believable. But all the things that they had to go through, made it easier for someone like me to do this.
“I mean, you look back at the history with Indian Wells, with Serena, all she had to go through, Venus fighting for equal pay. Yeah, it’s just, like, it’s crazy and it’s an honor to be in that kind of lineup as them. And I’m looking at it, and she’s won this a lot of times,” Gauff said as she chuckled.
