Coco Gauff may be the next big American sports star and she is only 15-years old. The teen tennis prodigy grabbed the world’s attention at Wimbledon and now, Gauff is prepared to compete at the US Open as a wildcard entry.
Gauff has already made history as the youngest tennis player to compete in the Open era. The Florida native reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in her first attempt. How many 15-year-olds can claim to have accomplished that feat? Now, she will attempt to qualify for the US Open and make history on home soil.
Welcome to Wimbledon
Gauff burst onto the scene at Wimbledon with a magical run into the fourth round. Her tournament was highlighted by defeating Venus Williams to start the tournament proper. Gauff’s win against the five-time champion sent her from being an obscure teen to being the next, well… Venus Williams. Okay, maybe not yet.
It helped Gauff’s credibility that she lost to Simona Halep in the fourth round. Halep went on to win the women‘s title at Wimbledon.
In July, the Women’s Tennis Association’s world rankings reflected Gauff’s incredible rise. She went from being ranked No. 313 to 141 in the word. Since then, she has moved up a further two spots.
Gauff’s learning curve
Despite Gauff’s success at Wimbledon, she has a lot to learn still. The Citi Open saw Gauff continue her meteoric rise although once reaching the main draw, found herself stopped in her tracks. Playing Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas, Gauff lost in straight sets 6-4 and 6-2. Despite the crowd strongly backing Gauff at the tournament, the experience of Diyas overcame the youthful exuberance of Gauff.
Gauff’s loss to Diyas was a defeat to learn from. It didn’t take Gauff long to use her experience and gain from it. Days later, alongside doubles partner Catherine McNally, another teenage tennis up and comer, Gauff won her first piece of professional silverware. The duo won the Washington Open doubles title beating Hungary’s Fanny Stollar and American Maria Sanchez 6-2 and 6-2. The match took just over an hour for Gauff and McNally to win.
The next Coco Gauff
Gauff isn’t the only teen tennis sensation in the United States currently. Clervie Ngounoue is the USA Juniors’ No. 1 ranked girls tennis player. Ngounoue is just 13-years old and is already aiming to be the “next Coco Gauff”. According to an interview with USA tennis captain Maureen Diaz, Ngounoue and Gauff are very similar and the former could reach the same level as latter by the time she reaches the same age.
But there is a problem with labelling Gauff and Ngounoue tennis prodigies at such a young age. The two rising stars have not won pro singles silverware. Although the accolades of being a promising player are great, it means very little if those players do not fulfil their potential. Tennis, like other world-class sports, has had thousands of promising players that never achieved glory in the pro ranks.
Gauff is already on the right track having won a doubles title. Ngounoue could follow in her footsteps and someday, the two young women could provide the WTA with one of the best rivalries in the game.
