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Coco Gauff has declared Serena Williams “the true and solely GOAT” because the 20-year-old American is decided to comply with within the footsteps of her idol and land many extra Grand Slam wins earlier than the time comes for her to stroll away from professional tennis.
Gauff, ranked at No. 3 on the planet and the present top-ranked American feminine tennis star, has been fairly open about trying as much as Williams as a bit of lady and dreaming of sooner or later being in her place.
Now, these desires are a actuality as Gauff is broadly thought to be probably the greatest gamers in girls’s tennis, and identical to Williams, she was capable of obtain huge success early in her profession.
Gauff, who landed her first Grand Slam title finally yr’s US Open, is at present taking part in on the French Open, the place she kicked off her marketing campaign on Monday with a dominant 6-1 6-1 win over Julia Avdeeva. And talking on Tennis Channel after the match, Gauff – who turned 20 in March – made it clear she got here to Paris decided to gather her second Grand Slam title.
Throughout her astonishing profession, Williams completed with 23 Grand Slam titles – only one Slam title in need of Margaret Courtroom’s all-time document of 24. Nonetheless, in Gauff’s thoughts, there isn’t any doubt who “the actual GOAT” is.
“I feel its one thing I undoubtedly wish to development to. I feel for me, I simply wish to win as many slams as attainable and being impressed by Serena Williams. I feel she is the one and true and solely GOAT. However I feel simply being impressed by her, it simply allowed me to make my desires as limitless as attainable,” Gauff stated on Tennis Channel.
“And I used to be taught from a younger age to make your desires as huge as attainable. Even when they do not really feel real looking simply because I do not know, I really feel like you may field your self in for those who say, I simply wish to get this, and I simply wish to get that.”

Gauff on an enormous recommendation acquired from Mary Joe Fernandez
When Gauff was simply beginning her profession, she acquired in contact with former three-time Grand Slam finalist Fernandez, who suggested her to cease fascinated about what number of video games he needed on a sure day however to enter each match with the goal of ending on the successful facet and nothing apart from that.
That occurred simply earlier than Gauff famously upset seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams on the 2019 Wimbledon as a 15-year-old teenager.
Now 5 years later, Gauff’s success speaks for itself and the American acknowledges Fernandez performed a bit of half in that.
“And If I went in my each match of my profession, which is one thing that Mary Joe Fernandez taught me earlier than I performed Venus, she informed me, ‘You do not go into the match seeing what number of video games you needed, you wish to win and go into the believing you could win’ and honesty, my mindset earlier than that was to see what number of video games I may get,” Gauff shared.
“And when she informed me that, I used to be like okay, I’ve to go in to win. And that is what I simply ended up taking that little factor and making use of it to the whole lot that I do and each match that I’m going in and it isn’t I simply wish to make the quarterfinals and make the semifinals. I’m going in believing that I can win.”
Champions inspiring champions 👑 @CocoGauff talks about Rafael Nadal, dreaming huge, and staying grounded with the outcomes. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Nnx8nCBy30
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 27, 2024
How Gauff paid main tribute to the Williams sisters after her US Open win
After getting back from a set down within the 2023 US Open last versus Aryna Sabalenka to attain her main aim of turning into a Grand Slam champion as a young person, Gauff immediately remembered the Williams sisters. In her speech, Gauff underlined that the Williams sisters had been the explanation why she began with tennis within the first place and that essentially the most profitable sisters in tennis historical past made her imagine she may additionally sooner or later be a tennis celebrity.
“Sure, it is loopy. I imply, they’re the explanation why I’ve this trophy as we speak, to be trustworthy. They’ve allowed me to imagine on this dream, , rising up,” Gauff stated after successful the US Open.
“You recognize, there wasn’t too many simply Black tennis gamers dominating the game. It was actually, at the moment once I was youthful, it was simply them that I can keep in mind. Clearly, extra got here due to their legacy. So it made the dream extra plausible. However all of the issues that they needed to undergo, they made it simpler for somebody like me to do that.”

Will probably be attention-grabbing to see if Gauff can win her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, the place she completed as runner-up two years in the past.
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