SM
Inter Milan vs. Como: 50 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Profile: 15-year-old Cori Gauff, slayer of Venus Williams

:Headline: Profile: 15-year-old Cori Gauff, slayer of Venus Williams: ID:363511: from db_amp
Gauff pulled off a stunning first-round win over Venus Williams.

Cori Gauff hit the headlines on day one of Wimbledon after stunning Venus Williams 6-4 6-4.

Gauff, 15, is the youngest player to come through qualifying in the Open era and is 24 years younger than Williams.

Here, PA picks out five things you may not know about the American.

Playing your idols

Cori Gauff reminds Serena Williams of her sister Venus, pictured (Nigel French/PA)

Gauff, who is known as Coco, was inspired to play tennis because of the Williams sisters, especially Serena. Between them, Serena and Venus had won 10 grand slam singles titles before Gauff was born.

Serena has an extra connection to Gauff through her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who has worked with the teenager, and Serena said: "She's so cool. She's a great girl. I love her dad. They're just really cool people."

Late opportunity

At 301 in the world rankings, Gauff was not ranked high enough to get into qualifying but she was given a wild card by Wimbledon five days before her first match. At the time she found out, she was shopping online for a dress for a gala.

Gauff is still at school and had to stay up late to take a science test at 11pm UK time the night before her final-round qualifier. She went on to beat Greet Minnen 6-1 6-1 in less than an hour.

Star backer

Gauff has been marked out for stardom for a while and is represented by the Team 8 management company, which was set up by Roger Federer and his agent Tony Godsick.

Federer said: "I'm super happy for her. I saw the last couple of games when she qualified. Obviously everybody was waiting to see what the draw was going to be like.

"It's a great story. Coco is a nice girl, works really hard. I think she's obviously got a wonderful future ahead of herself."

Breaking records

The match with Venus was Gauff's grand-slam debut in the main draw of the women's singles but she is already used to the slam stage. She reached the showpiece of the girls' singles at the US Open in 2017 aged just 13, making her the youngest ever finalist.

At the French Open the following year she won the title just over two months after her 14th birthday. She is the first 15-year-old to compete in the main draw at Wimbledon since Laura Robson 10 years ago.

Sporting pedigree

Gauff comes from a strong sporting family. She is coached by her father Corey, who played basketball at Georgia State University. Gauff's mother Candi, meanwhile, was a gymnast before competing in athletics at Florida State University. The family moved from Atlanta to Florida when Gauff was just seven to boost her tennis prospects.

amp_article__363511 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-07-01 19:12:16:
html db last update - 2019-07-01 19:12:16 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .