Coco Gauff couldn’t believe that there was footage of her from one of Venus Williams’ 2012 US Open matches as the American tennis star gave a very special shout-out to the person who discovered the video.
In 2012, an eight-year-old Gauff came to watch the US Open – and not only that she had the opportunity to watch one of the biggest tournaments in the world – she also had the chance to watch in live one of her idols.
In a match highlight video that was posted by the USTA on YouTube this week, someone spotted a very joyful cheering on Williams against Bethanie Mattek-Sands. For Gauff and Williams, it was a great day as the seven-time Grand Slam champion crushed Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-1.
“WOWWWWWWW NO WAY SOMEONE FOUND THIS. THAT IS ME WATCHING VENUS at the US Open. didn’t even know the tv caught me in the stands. whoever found this shoutout to you ong (on God),” Gauff wrote on her Instagram Story.
“THIS IS CRAZY. time flies. 1o1 I def was looking at the jumbotron to see if the camera was showing me lol. thank you for sharing!”
Gauff on how Williams was a part of ‘a pivotal moment’ in her life
Seven years after watching Williams at the US Open, Gauff won three qualifying matches at 2019 Wimbledon to make her Grand Slam debut as a 15-year-old girl. In her very first Grand Slam main draw match, Gauff met her idol Williams. To make it all crazier, Gauff won that match 6-4 6-4 and made all the headlines and got labeled as the successor of the Williams sisters.
Last year, it was the fourth anniversary of Gauff’s Wimbledon win over Williams. Gauff – who returned to 2023 Wimbledon as a top player and a favorite for the title – used the opportunity to issue one big statement, highlighting how important was her win over Williams in 2019.
“It was the start of everything for me. I think life is a domino effect. I don’t know if that domino didn’t happen or if that domino was pulled out where I would be now. But I think that was a pivotal moment in my life,” Gauff said during last year’s Wimbledon.
Gauff delivered a very special tribute to Williams after her 2023 US Open win
11 years after watching her idol Williams at the US Open, Gauff accomplished her biggest tennis dream by becoming a Grand Slam champion at Flushing Meadows. Gauff, who was 19 during last year’s US Open, created a big comeback in the final to beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 and lift her maiden Slam title.
After her win, Gauff remembered Serena and Venus Williams and explained in detail the impact they had on her first tennis steps. Also, Gauff underlined that the Williams sisters gave her the first and early belief that she could one day be doing major things in tennis.
“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,” Gauff said moments after her US Open win.
“You know, there wasn’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, they 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 (laughter).”
Now, Gauff is a Grand Slam champion and enjoying a career-high ranking of No. in the world – the ranking that is making her the highest-ranked American female tennis player. At just 20, Gauff has already done big things and she is certainly following in the footsteps of her idols, Serena and Venus.
Meanwhile, Gauff is currently preparing for the clay season, which she is scheduled to kick off next week at a WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart. There, the 20-year-old American is set for her third appearance.
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are also scheduled to play in Stuttgart as Gauff making a strong run there would certainly be the best possible start to the clay season for the American.
