Published 01/23/2023, 9:32 AM EST
American tennis star Coco Gauff has made rapid progress in her short career. The 18-year-old already has the experience of playing a Grand Slam final. She also performed pretty consistently throughout the 2022 season. However, her journey came to an early end in the Australian Open 2023. Recently, she opened up about the pressure of being the next ‘Serena Williams‘.
In her fourth round match, she lost to her Latvian opponent in straight sets. Although she is still very young and has a lot of time to prove herself, the American believes that it is not correct to expect her to be the successor of Serena Williams. Here’s why.
Coco Gauff on being the next Serena Williams
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After Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek crashed out of the Australian Open, tennis fans are searching for a consistent and dominant women’s tennis star. Earlier, Serena Williams set the bar so high that it is pretty difficult for the current generation of players to be that consistent.
Oct 9, 2021; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Cori Coco Gauff reacts after breaking the serve of Caroline Garcia (FRA) during her second round match in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Here’s what Coco Gauff said about the next face of women’s tennis and why it will never happen. “With Serena Williams retiring, I feel like people are eager to see a new face of the game emerge. But it is tough as a young player to think of yourself as a ‘face of the game,” she said. She further added, “Everyone wants it to happen now but you have to put into perspective the ages of us younger players coming through. To be a face of anything – not just tennis – is tough.”
Further, the 18-year-old stressed the importance of experience along with talent. “The captain isn’t necessarily always the best player, but the player with the most experience. I guess everyone is looking for the ‘captain’ of the WTA Tour. That’s the best analogy I can probably give,” she added.
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Serena had a really dominant career. Gauff is correct that it will be tough for modern-day players to replicate her achievements. However, the younger lot, including herself, has great potential. It will be interesting to see how they finish.
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Comparison with Serena doesn’t affect Gauff
Ever since Gauff got popular, she has seen people comparing her to Serena Williams. However, the 18-year-old doesn’t take it as a challenge or pressure. The American recently revealed that it is something she has seen from a very young age.
Talking about filling Serena’s shoes, world number seven said that Serena is a GOAT, and she is still trying to figure out her way in tennis.
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Gauff is firm in her belief that she wants to create a legacy of her own rather than being next someone else. It will be interesting to see how rich Gauff’s legacy becomes at the time she finishes her career.