Tennis: Former Grand Slam Winner Thinks ‘Sky’s the limit’ for Coco Gauff

Tennis teenage sensation Coco Gauff shook the world with her dominant debut in the 2019 Wimbledon tournament. She opened with a bang by beating former world number one Venus Williams and had everyone captivated with her energy.

The 15-year-old’s phenomenal play powered her through to the fourth round of the tournament before falling to the eventual champion Simona Halep. Her performance put her into the conversation as one of the brightest stars next in line for the sport.

Gauff kicked off the 2020 Australian Open the same manner she did in Wimbledon by defeating Williams once again. It was a repeat of their 2019 matchup only this time Gauff was in a much better condition physically and mentally.

It took her two sets to take care of the veteran, 7-6, 6-3. After the match, Williams had all praises for her opponent claiming that her maturity is beyond her age. “I think the sky’s the limit for her,” the 7-time Grand Slam winner shared.

With all the attention Gauff is getting, she remains focused and determined in her succeeding matches. "I think today has been the best match so far I played this year. I was a lot more focused. Yeah, I think today really showed what I worked on in my off-season."

As the youngest player in the tournament, she remains determined to eventually be the best in the sport – claiming that with the proper mindset, she can defeat anyone. She ensures that nothing is going to get in the way of her goals. “My mission is to be the greatest,” she said.

Although she understands that each matchup differs per situation, she remains confident in her abilities. “The ones who are the great ones, they don't really fear anyone. You respect your opponent, but you can't go into the match fearing someone, because then you're going to lose, and I don't want to lose."

It’s only a matter of time until we see Gauff gather more trophies and victories to her already stellar career. For now, Gauff will continue to the second round of the Australian Open with a match against Czech player Barbora Strycova.