Wow...what a talent.
LONDON -- Corey Gauff still remembers watching the 2009 Australian Open final between Serena Williams and Dinara Safina. It was early morning at their family home in Atlanta, but his young daughter was captivated by the match on the screen. Williams ultimately won in convincing fashion, 6-0, 6-3, to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. "She's the GOAT," Corey remembers saying in awe.
His daughter, then 4, didn't know what "GOAT" meant, but once he explained it stood for "Greatest of All Time," her eyes got wide, and she said defiantly: "I want to be the GOAT."
Fast-forward 10 years and that same young girl is already leading some to wonder whether her bold declaration might actually come true.
On Monday, Cori "Coco" Gauff, now 15, crouched to her knees, put her hands to her head and then stood up triumphantly, choking back tears. She had just defeated her longtime hero, Venus Williams, in straight sets -- at Wimbledon, of all places -- in her first main draw appearance at a Grand Slam, and it seemed she had just realized the weight of the moment.
On Wednesday night, in front of an adoring audience all hoping to catch a glimpse of the newly appointed star, Coco looked unfazed by her surroundings and beat 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and nine minutes. It was the first match played under the roof and lights of Wimbledon's Court No. 1, and Coco lived up to the moment, putting on a nearly flawless display and responding to everything Rybarikova could possibly throw her way.
LONDON -- Corey Gauff still remembers watching the 2009 Australian Open final between Serena Williams and Dinara Safina. It was early morning at their family home in Atlanta, but his young daughter was captivated by the match on the screen. Williams ultimately won in convincing fashion, 6-0, 6-3, to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. "She's the GOAT," Corey remembers saying in awe.
His daughter, then 4, didn't know what "GOAT" meant, but once he explained it stood for "Greatest of All Time," her eyes got wide, and she said defiantly: "I want to be the GOAT."
Fast-forward 10 years and that same young girl is already leading some to wonder whether her bold declaration might actually come true.
On Monday, Cori "Coco" Gauff, now 15, crouched to her knees, put her hands to her head and then stood up triumphantly, choking back tears. She had just defeated her longtime hero, Venus Williams, in straight sets -- at Wimbledon, of all places -- in her first main draw appearance at a Grand Slam, and it seemed she had just realized the weight of the moment.
On Wednesday night, in front of an adoring audience all hoping to catch a glimpse of the newly appointed star, Coco looked unfazed by her surroundings and beat 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and nine minutes. It was the first match played under the roof and lights of Wimbledon's Court No. 1, and Coco lived up to the moment, putting on a nearly flawless display and responding to everything Rybarikova could possibly throw her way.