How Serena and Venus Williams Inspired Coco Gauff to Pursue Professional Tennis

The young athlete remembers watching Venus Williams at the 2012 U.S. Open—and now she’s following in her footsteps.

Coco Gauff / Mike Frey-Imagn Images

In recent years, Coco Gauff has reached the pinnacle of her sport. In the fall of 2023, she became a Grand Slam champion, becoming the youngest American to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams in 1999. It was only fitting that she was following in the footsteps of the younger Williams sister. Since she was young, the 20-year-old has looked up to the impressive sisters, both of whom have had incredibly successful tennis careers.

In many ways, they were game-changers in Gauff’s journey to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. “Finding myself was difficult,” the young athlete admitted in a recent sit-down with Baker Tilly US. “Being Black in tennis is like—sometimes you do stick out like a sore thumb. In the Black community, tennis is not like a huge thing. Nobody really knew anything about it. I had mentioned that I played tennis, but nobody cared.”

It was the example of the Williams sisters that Gauff looked to day in and day out—as she worked toward success on the tennis court. She may have been following an uncommon path, but the Williams sisters certainly made it a touch easier. “Having role models like Serena and Venus to look up to made a difference,” she expressed.

Gauff can date her admiration for the pair all the way back to the 2012 U.S. Open. Gauff was about 8, and years from her professional tennis debut. But, all the same, that moment has stuck with her over the years. “My dad got second-row tickets, and we were so close,” she recalled.

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Watching the Williams sisters dominate on the court didn’t simply make Gauff want to be a better player. It likewise made her want to be a role model. “I think that’s what pushes me to keep going because, you know, the sport is predominantly white,” she said. “You believe that you can [pursue] that passion when you see other people like you being successful. Hopefully, I can be that belief for somebody else.”

Undoubtedly, the Georgia native is already just that. She has already accomplished a feat that only a select few can claim: a Grand Slam win. And she’s far from done yet. The athlete is only just beginning her career. There is no doubt that she has years of play—and success—ahead of her.