History in the making
Yesterday, history was made. Gauff, who is only 15 years old, became the youngest player to qualify for the main Wimbledon draw since the Open era began in 1968. Cori “coco” Gauff beat Wimbledon veteran, Venus Williams, 6-4 6-4 on court one in 1 hour and 14 minutes.
Gauff, who started playing tennis at the age of seven, comes from a sporting family. She is coached by her father Corey, who played basketball at Georgia State University. Her mother Candi was a gymnast before moving into track and field. Cori began to deliver in major arenas two years ago when she became the youngest US Open girls’ singles finalist, aged just 13!
The teenager who is the youngest woman to qualify for the tournament, dazzled with a display of immense maturity and self-belief.
“Honestly I don’t know how to feel,” Gauff said afterwards.” It’s the first time I have ever cried after winning a match, I don’t know how to explain how I feel.
Gauff served superbly throughout the clash, was broken only once and showed tremendous composure in her first main draw match at a grand slam. The young superstar made just eight unforced errors compared to 25 for her 39-year-old opponent.
An idol for the young people
Within the USN Bolton Arena is the high-performance tennis Academy. This is where talented children, aged 9 to 17, who wish to improve their tennis skills come with the hope to become a professional tennis player. The participants also consistently compete in all age groups in National, European, Interntional and professional tournaments.
There is a definite buzz around the arena today as Cori Gauff really showed these young people that anything is possible if you put in the time and effort.
We expect to see many more great things from Cori as she truly showed us that the sky is her limit.
References
Falkingham, K. (2019). Wimbledon 2019: Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff described as a ‘champion in the making’. [online] BBC Sport. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/48832788 [Accessed 2 Jul. 2019].
Cambers, S. (2019). Cori Gauff, 15, eclipses Venus Williams in Wimbledon first round.
The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/01/cori-coco-gauff-beats-venus-williams-wimbledon-first-round [Accessed 2 Jul. 2019].
*Images courtesy of Google Images*
