Coco Gauff Recalls Starstruck Moment with Idol Serena Williams: “That was Jesus”

Coco Gauff finished the 2025 season with two titles, including her second Grand Slam singles trophy, which she won at the French Open.

Coco Gauff Recalls Starstruck Moment with Idol Serena Williams: “That was Jesus”

Serena Williams, Coco Gauff (Image via X/Taylor Swift Charts+, Jimmie48 Photography)

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Coco Gauff vividly remembers the euphoric moment when she met her idol, Serena Williams, when she was still a preteen. It was about a decade ago when Gauff literally stepped into Williams’ shoes.

Delta Air Lines needed a body double for Williams’ younger version in a commercial, and it was Gauff to whom the role was given. For Gauff, meeting the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion face-to-face was for sure a surreal experience.

I just remember her walking by, and it just felt not real. You could have told me that was Jesus.

Coco Gauff told Forbes

Gauff picked up a tennis racket for a career after her father, Corey Gauff, bought her a racket after being inspired by Williams’ Grand Slam dominance. The 21-year-old never locked horns with Williams but met her sister and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams twice, beating her on both occasions.

Gauff burst onto the scene after knocking out the five-time Wimbledon singles champion in the first round of the grass-court Major in 2019. She registered her second win over Venus in the first round of the 2020 Australian Open.

Williams called time on her career at the 2022 US Open after her third-round defeat. Venus has yet to retire, and this year, she made her comeback to the tour at the Citi Open, where she registered one match win against Peyton Stearns. She also featured in the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, losing her first-round matches.

Coco Gauff recalls her heartbreaking Grand Slam defeats

Coco Gauff had to deal with lots of heartbreak in Grand Slam events. Back in 2022, she suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek in the clay-court Major.

Coco Gauff (via X/Tennis Channel)
Coco Gauff (via X/Tennis Channel)

A year ago, Gauff reached her first Grand Slam final. It was in doubles where she and partner Caty McNally lost in three sets to Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai in the US Open final. The following year, apart from losing the French Open singles, she also failed to clinch the doubles title in the tournament. Gauff and compatriot Jessica Pegula were defeated by Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in three sets.

It took me a long time to get over that. I didn’t know if I’d ever see myself in that position again.

Coco Gauff told Forbes

But she did not have to wait long time to taste Grand Slam glory. In 2023, the home favorite went past World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to become the US Open champion. The following year, although Gauff failed to win a Grand Slam singles title, she was successful in adding the French Open doubles title to her name alongside partner Katerina Siniakova, defeating the pair of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

This season, Gauff did not feature in any Grand Slam doubles event. But in singles, she went past Sabalenka in the French Open final to become a two-time Grand Slam singles champion.

This year, apart from the French Open title, the American ace also won the Wuhan Open by defeating Pegula. She qualified for the WTA Finals but failed to defend her title, losing to Pegula and Sabalenka in the round-robin stage.

Gauff also made it to two more finals. After multiple first-round exits earlier this season, she reached the title clash of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open but suffered defeats at the hands of Sabalenka and Paolini, respectively. Her next major goal is the Australian Open. She has never progressed beyond the semifinals of the Melbourne Grand Slam event. This year, she lost in the quarterfinals.

Also read: Former Australian Open Semi-Finalist Reveals what Amanda Anisimova Needs to Improve on to Win a Grand Slam