“I wasn’t ready for Serena,” Coco Gauff breaks candid admission on idol Serena Williams and how facing the legend would have ruined her career

Coco Gauff revealed her tough moment of having to face Venus Williams at the age of 15.

“I wasn’t ready for Serena,” Coco Gauff breaks candid admission on idol Serena Williams and how facing the legend would have ruined her career

Coco Gauff and Serena Williams (Via IMAGO)

Coco Gauff, the young American sensation, has always idolized the Williams sisters. Since her childhood, the 19-year-old has followed in the path of Serena Williams. Unfortunately, Gauff did not get a chance to play her idol but played against Serena’s sister Venus Williams. 

At the age of just 15, Gauff beat the then 39-year-old Venus Williams in the first round of the Wimbledon. This was the first time, she beat one of her idols and recorded an unbelievable win. In straight sets, she beat one of the most influential people in tennis. 

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Getting a wildcard entry to Wimbledon, facing Venus Williams in the first round, and beating her in straight sets was a dream come true for the then-15-year-old Gauff.

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However, it was still not Serena. And Gauff is fine with having to not face her. She reckons that she was not prepared to take on her idol. After having to mentally prepare herself for Venus, she revealed she did not have it in her to face her idol. 

Gauff said to Vogue when asked about how she felt playing Venus and not her sister:

Playing Serena at Wimbledon, I don’t know, I feel like it would have messed up my story, I wasn’t ready for Serena at that time.
Coco Gauff said

Coco Gauff revealed her mental fight behind historic win against Venus Williams in 2019 Wimbledon

In a recent photoshoot and interview with Vogue, Coco Gauff revealed some insights into her life. She spoke about some important moments in life while mentioning her biggest achievements. 

Coco Gauff and Venus Williams
Coco Gauff and Venus Williams (Via Imago)

One of those big moments was her 2019 Wimbledon match against Venus Williams. Gauff recalled the mental toughness she had to develop for the match. In one of the biggest matches, facing her idol, a 15-year-old Gauff had to cut out the crowd, and even stop herself from looking at the scoreboard. 

Gauff said via Vogue:

When I walked on the court, I put the music really loud in my ears because I didn’t want to look at, or hear, the crowd. A lot of times during that match I didn’t even look at the scoreboard because I didn’t want to see her name.
Coco Gauff said

Despite such tough conditions, the American beat her idol in straight sets. After that moment, Gauff went to beat Williams two more times. She may not have faced Serena Williams but is happy about it. Starting from 15, the American has beaten many more top players and even managed to win her first grand slam at the age of 19. 

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