By Saidu Abubakar
Some thought-provoking questions might have trailed the recent victory of female American teenage tennis player – Cori Dionne “Coco” Gauff in the US Open final after she outlasted World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to lift her first Grand Slam in just over two hours under a closed roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Gauff now holds a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head series, overall. She is US$11,057,463 richer with the accompanying prize money.
Interestingly, Gauff is currently ranked world No. 6 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and has been ranked as high as world No. 1 in doubles. She has won six WTA Tour singles titles, including the Major at this year’s 2023 US Open, and eight doubles titles – five partnering with Jessica Pegula and three with Caty McNally.
“It means so much to me,” Gauff said during the trophy presentation. “I feel like I’m a little bit in shock in this moment. That French Open loss was heartbreak for me, but I realized God puts you through tribulations and trials, and that makes this moment even sweeter than I could imagine. My dad took me to this tournament, sitting right there, watching Venus and Serena compete, so it’s really incredible to be here on this stage.”
Gauff is the first American teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title this century. Prior to this feat, the most recent American teenager to win a major was Serena Williams, when she won her very first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open aged 17. Now, Gauff who turned professional in 2018, has become the only fourth American teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era (since 1968), joining Chris Evert, Tracy Austin and Serena Williams.
During the recently determined final, the first set was overwhelmingly Sabalenka’s, who had eight winners to Gauff’s three, and broke the American’s serve three times. Sabalenka won the last four games of the opener to sweep into the second set with the momentum. However, Gauff’s already sterling defence became nearly impenetrable as the second set progressed, vigorously racing down balls and drawing more rally errors from Sabalenka. Gauff claimed the only break of the second set to lead 3-1, staving off three break points in that set as she leveled affairs at a set apiece.
Now spreading the court with excellent angles while losing none of her speed, Gauff built a commanding 4-0 lead in the third set. Sabalenka got one break back to reach 4-2, but a crosscourt winner allowed Gauff to regain the double-break lead at 5-2. Serving for a Grand Slam title for the first time, Gauff was totally unfazed, and she closed out the match at love to take home her first major trophy. She is coached by Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert.
Unarguably, Coco Gauff’s grand slam victory has bolstered her into the cream of big earners, class of the calibre of US’s Serena Williams, Italy’s Flavia Pennetta, Germany’s Angelique Kerba, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, Canada’s Bianca Andreescu to mention but a few.
Who is Coco Gauff?
Born on 13th March, 2004 in Delray Beach, Florida, U.S, to athletic parents with collegiate backgrounds in basketball and track and field, she became the No. 1 junior in the world after winning the junior 2018 French Open singles title and also won a junior major doubles title at the 2018 US Open.
Gauff made her WTA Tour debut in March 2019 at the Miami Open. She received a wild card into the qualifying draw at the 2019 Wimbledon, where she became the youngest player in the tournament’s history to qualify for the main draw. She rose to prominence with a win over former world No. 1 and seven-time major singles champion, Venus Williams in the opening round, going on to reach the fourth round.
Later that summer, Gauff advanced to the third round of the US Open. She won the WTA Tour singles title at the 2019 Linz Open at the age of 15 years and seven months, making her the youngest singles title-holder on the Tour since 2004. In 2021, she reached her first major final in women’s doubles at the US Open, and reached her first major singles final at the 2022 French Open. Recently, 2023, she won her first WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Masters and her first major singles title at the US Open.
Coco Gauff’s Dad, Corey:
Corey Gauff grew up in Delray Beach, Florida, and played College basketball at Georgia State University. He played a little tennis growing up, but not much. As Coco picked up the sport, he started as the coach. “I think it helps parents when they have played as high as College or even Pro,” he told the New York Times. “You better understand the process, and so you don’t get too jittery about it. You don’t feel like you’re running out of time, so you are not rushed. You kind of meet your kid where they are at.”
He’s no longer her main coach, but definitely still supports his daughter. “In the match, I try not to look at my parents too much, but definitely when I have a big ‘Come on!’ or I scream, I look at them because they kind of hype me up,” Coco said a few years back. “And then sometimes when I feel a little bit tight during a match, I look at them because they just give me fist pumps, so that just shows me that everything’s gonna be okay. They’re definitely my biggest supporters.”
Coco Gauff’s Mom, Candi:
Candi Gauff (née Odom) is also from Delray Beach, Florida, the daughter of Eddie “Red” Odom and Yvonne Lee Odom. Her dad Eddie played College football, and then minor league baseball, before launching a Little League for Black kids to play in – the Delray Beach American Little League. Her mom (Coco’s grandma), Yvonne, was the first Black student at her school, integrating her high school. “She’s probably the sole reason why I use my platform the way that I do and why I feel so comfortable speaking out,” Coco said.
Growing up, Candi did gymnastics and ran track, but decided to focus on the latter. “Track and field was a second love,” Candi said. “Gymnastics was my first. But what overshadows everything is the love of competing. So no matter what I was going to do, I was going to try and do my best in it, because I just like to compete.”
In high school, she was a five-time Florida state champion in the heptathlon, and at college at Florida State University, Candi was on the track and field team. After graduation, she worked as a teacher, but she left her job to support her daughter’s athletic journey full time.