Venus Williams Reveals Whether She Will Coach Coco Gauff in the Future

Coco Gauff joined Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams for an interview after her second-round victory at Roland Garros.

Venus Williams Reveals Whether She Will Coach Coco Gauff in the Future

Coco Gauff and Venus Williams (image via Bleacher Report)

Three generations of American tennis champions had a memorable reunion on Thursday at Roland Garros when Coco Gauff joined Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams in-studio on American television after her second-round victory. Stephens and Williams are commentating for TNT Sports, which is in its first year as the official rights holder in the U.S. for the Roland Garros. 

This season saw quite a few former tennis champions turn to coaching, such as the likes of Andy Murray, who coached his long-term rival Novak Djokovic until their recent split, and Marat Safin, who is working with compatriot Andrey Rublev.

It was perhaps a fitting question to then ask Williams if she would ever consider coaching Gauff or Australian Open champion Madison Keys. However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion remarked that having played against them, it would be challenging to mentor either woman. 

You know what? I was always playing against them. So, I never really got the chance to give them much advice. They were playing so well. I lost to both of them. So, it’s not easy to be in that position where you mentor and you’re playing against someone, but these girls know what they’re doing.

Despite the 23-year age gap between Williams and Gauff, the pair’s professional careers did overlap as they played each other twice on tour. The most memorable clash between the two was at Wimbledon back in 2019.

Gauff, aged 15 at the time, pulled off a stunning upset to beat Williams in the first round of Wimbledon, in what was her Grand Slam debut. The two later also partnered for doubles at the Roland Garros in 2021.

Both Gauff and Williams have been runners-up in singles at the Roland Garros. Venus lost the 2002 finals to her younger sister Serena, who had then won her maiden Roland Garros title. Gauff, meanwhile lost the 2022 finals to Iga Swiatek.

Coco Gauff speaks about forgetting her racquets

On the show, Coco Gauff also spoke about her earlier hilarious mishap in Court Philippe-Chatrier. Gauff had unintentionally sparked a funny moment during her first-round Roland Garros match when she entered the court without her racquets. She appeared briefly puzzled before a ball boy rushed in with her mint-colored racquets. 

Coco Gauff Roland Garros
Coco Gauff Roland Garros (via X)

Usually my coach puts them in before my match, and I just thought he put them in there. I should have double-checked that they were in there, and then I know I said I thought I would be able to tell by weight, but so much happened. Chris pulled up that clip.

Gauff cruised past Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 in her first-round match. The World No. 2 then defeated Tereza Valentova 6-2, 6-4 to set up a third-round clash with 47th ranked Marie Bouzkova. Interestingly, Bouzkova has a 2-0 record against Gauff, with one victory on clay and one on hard court.

Gauff has now won 12 of her past 14 matches, including reaching the finals of the WTA 1000 events in Madrid, where she lost to World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, and Rome, where she lost to home favorite Jasmine Paolini. The 21-year-old is aiming for her second Grand Slam title after her triumph at the US Open in 2023.

Also Read: Coco Gauff Reveals Secret Social Media Interaction With Carlos Alcaraz in Her Early Years on Tour