Coco Gauff wasn’t even born when Venus Williams made her Wimbledon debut 26 years ago. On Saturday at Wimbledon, the 19-year-old American spoke with reverence about the legend.
A long time back at Wimbledon, the vocation of Coco Gauff’s profession formally set forth as the then 15-year-old American logged a pivotal resentful about Venus Williams in a passing of the light second on No 1 Court.
At the point when the 6-4, 6-4 triumph was secured, Gauff went directly to the net to let Venus know how grateful she was for all she had accomplished for ladies’ tennis. It was a contacting second between two generational gifts, one an unbelievable directing light who prepared for the other, a soaring ability bound to some time or another do likewise for other people.
What’s more, a second actually rings somewhere down in Gauff’s heart.
On Saturday at Wimbledon Gauff told correspondents: “It was the beginning of everything for me. I think life is a cascading type of influence. I couldn’t say whether that domino didn’t occur or on the other hand assuming that domino was pulled out where I would be presently. In any case, I feel that was a critical second in my life.”
The role model that keeps rolling
At 43, Williams will take her place in her record 92nd Grand Slam main draw, with a first-round matchup with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina looming.
Four years after that magical maiden Grand Slam main draw win, Gauff says she still draws inspiration from the five-time Wimbledon champion.
“For me, Venus, the most inspiring thing about her is the love that she has for tennis,” Gauff told reporters. “I don’t think that love has swayed over the course of her career. I think you can see players who are older now. You can have a feeling they probably don’t love it as much as they did when they started it. I don’t have that feeling with Venus. I hope I’m the same way.”
There’s more to Venus than just passion. There’s also her willingness to embrace the pugilistic elements of the sport. 26 years after her Wimbledon debut, Serena’s big sister remains a quintessential fighter who never takes a point off.
“Obviously just her grit for every match, every ball,” Gauff said. “I watched a couple of her matches last week. Just the will to want every point is something that’s inspiring.”
That hunger is something the seventh-ranked American plans to emulate for the rest of her career.
“I feel like I have that same hunger,” she said. “I tried to continue to reach that level of hunger that she has for every point, no matter what tournament it is, Grand Slam or 250. It seems like she’s just fighting for every point. I think that’s the most inspiring things in my eyes of Venus Williams.”
