Coco Gauff
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Country (sports) | United States |
---|---|
Residence | Delray Beach, Florida, US |
Born | Atlanta, Georgia, US | March 13, 2004
Height | 5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m) |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Coach | Corey Gauff |
Prize money | $75,011 |
Singles | |
Career record | 22–15 (59.5%) |
Career titles | 0 |
Highest ranking | No. 299 (June 10, 2019) |
Current ranking | No. 319 (July 1, 2019) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
French Open | Q2 (2019) |
Wimbledon | 4R (2019) |
US Open | Q1 (2018) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 12–6 (66.7%) |
Career titles | 1 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 269 (June 24, 2019) |
Current ranking | No. 273 (July 1, 2019) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open Junior | 1R (2018) |
French Open Junior | QF (2018) |
Wimbledon Junior | SF (2018) |
US Open Junior | W (2018) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Wimbledon | 1R (2019) |
US Open | 2R (2018) |
Last updated on: July 5, 2019. |
Cori Gauff (born March 13, 2004), also known as Coco Gauff, is an American tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 junior, having won one junior Grand Slam singles title and another in doubles. She was the runner-up in the girls' singles event at the 2017 US Open, making her the youngest finalist at the event in the tournament's history.
Born to athletic parents with NCAA Division I collegiate backgrounds in basketball and track and field, Gauff experimented with a variety of sports as a child. She chose to focus on tennis, having been inspired to play by the Williams sisters and because she preferred to compete in an individual sport. Gauff had quick success as a junior, winning the Little Mo eight-and-under nationals and earning a sponsorship to train at Patrick Mouratoglou's academy in France. She began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit at 13 and reached the final at the junior US Open in her fourth ITF event. She won two junior Grand Slam tournament titles, one in singles at the 2018 French Open and one in doubles at the 2018 US Open.
Gauff made her WTA Tour debut in March 2019 at the Miami Open and won her opening match. She received a wild card into the qualifying draw at Wimbledon where she became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the tournament's history. She then rose to prominence when she defeated Venus Williams in the first round and went on to reach the second week.
Early life and background
Born on March 13, 2004, to Candi (née Odom)[1] and Corey Gauff, Cori Gauff is named after her father.[2] She has two younger brothers—Codey, who is four years younger, and Cameron, who is nine years younger.[3] Her father played college basketball at Georgia State University and later worked as a health care executive, while her mother was a track and field athlete at Florida State University and worked as an educator.[4] Gauff spent the first seven years of her life in Atlanta, becoming interested in tennis at the age of four after watching Serena Williams win the 2009 Australian Open on television.[5]
Encouraged by her parents to try a wide variety of sports including basketball and track,[5] Gauff began playing tennis at age six. Her family moved to her parents' former hometown of Delray Beach, Florida, when she was seven—initially living with her mother's parents before moving into their own house—so that she would have better opportunities to train in tennis.[6][7][8] At age eight, Gauff began working with Gerard Loglo at the New Generation Tennis Academy.[9][10] Her parents gave up their careers to focus on training their daughter, with her father, who had limited experience playing tennis growing up, later taking over as her primary coach while her mother oversaw her homeschooling.[4][9] After winning the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation's "Little Mo" eight-and-under nationals in December 2012,[11] Gauff decided she wanted to pursue a lifelong career in tennis.[12][9]
At age ten, Gauff began to train at the Mouratoglou Academy, run by Serena's Williams's coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Mouratoglou commented, "I'll always remember the first time I saw Coco. She came over to the Mouratoglou Academy in 2014 to try out and she impressed me with her determination, athleticism and fighting spirit... When she looks at you and tells you she will be number one you can only believe it."[13] He helped sponsor Gauff through his Champ'Seed foundation, which he had created to provide funding for junior tennis players who lacked the financial resources for high-level training.[14] In July 2014, Gauff won the USTA Clay Court National 12-and-under title; she was the youngest champion in the tournament's history aged 10 years and 4 months.[9][15]
Junior career
Gauff is a former world No. 1 junior.[16] She began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit at the age of 13, skipping directly to the highest-level Grade A and Grade 1 tournaments. In August 2017, she was the runner-up to Jaimee Fourlis in the Grade 1 Prince George's County Junior Tennis Championships in Maryland[17] before making her junior Grand Slam debut at the US Open, where she was the runner-up of the girls' singles to Amanda Anisimova.[18] Gauff did not drop a set before the final in either tournament and also became the youngest girls' singles finalist in US Open history.[19] After beginning 2018 with a semifinal at the Grade 1 Traralgon Junior International in Australia, Gauff lost her opening round match at the Australian Open.[16][failed verification] She did not enter another tournament in singles until the French Open, where she won her first career junior Grand Slam tournament title. She did not drop a set until the final, where she came from behind to defeat compatriot Caty McNally in three sets. With the title, Gauff became the fifth youngest girls' singles champion in French Open history.[20] In July, following another final win against McNally at the Grade 1 Junior International Roehampton, Gauff became the No. 1 junior in the world.[21][22]
Gauff reached the quarterfinals in singles at each of the last two Grand Slam tournaments of the year. She fared better in doubles at both tournaments, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon with partner María Lourdes Carlé and winning her first junior Grand Slam doubles title at the US Open with McNally as her partner.[16] Gauff and McNally defeated compatriots Hailey Baptiste and Dalayna Hewitt in the final, and won all of their matches in straight sets.[23] In September, Gauff represented the United States at the Junior Fed Cup with Alexa Noel and Connie Ma. The team reached the final against Ukraine. After Gauff won her singles rubber and Noel lost hers, Gauff and Noel won the Junior Fed Cup by defeating Lyubov Kostenko and Dasha Lopatetskaya in the decisive doubles rubber that ended 11–9 in a match tiebreak.[24] In December, Gauff won another Grade A title in singles at the Orange Bowl.[25] She ended the season ranked No. 2 in the world behind Clara Burel.[26]
Professional career
2018–19: Wimbledon breakthrough
Gauff made her debut on the ITF Women's Circuit in May 2018 as a qualifier in the $25K event at Osprey, where she won her first professional match. She received a wild card into qualifying at the US Open, but lost her opening match.[27] In February 2019, she finished runner-up in doubles at the $100K Midland Tennis Classic alongside Ann Li,[28] before playing her next event at the $25K level in Surprise, reaching the finals in both singles and doubles. Although she finished runner-up in singles, she won her maiden WTA title in doubles alongside Paige Hourigan against compatriots Usue Maitane Arconada and Emina Bektas.[29] In March, Gauff made her WTA main draw debut as a wild card at the Miami Open and recorded her first WTA match win against Caty McNally.[30] Gauff lost her next match to Daria Kasatkina.[31]
After losing in the second round of qualifying at the French Open, Gauff was able to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon. She upset world No. 92 Aliona Bolsova, the top seed in the qualifying draw, in the first round and later defeated No. 128 Greet Minnen in the third and final qualifying round while losing two games. Aged 15 years and 3 months, Gauff was the youngest player to reach the main draw at Wimbledon by qualifying in the Open Era.[32] In her main draw debut, she upset world No. 44 Venus Williams in straight sets.[33] Gauff continued her run into the fourth round with victories over Magdaléna Rybáriková and No. 60 Polona Hercog, and needed to save two match points against Hercog in particular. The hype surrounding her first round match win helped lead to Gauff's third round match being scheduled on Centre Court.[34][35] She was eliminated when she lost her match with Simona Halep in the second week of the tournament.[36] Gauff was praised by the media and other players for her performance throughout the tournament and her "maturity".[37]
Endorsements
Gauff uses a Head Graphene 360 Speed MP[38] that has 16 main and 19 cross strings. She wears New Balance clothing and tennis shoes.
In October 2018, Gauff signed her first multi-year sponsorship contract, with New Balance.[39] In March 2019, she announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Italian food company Barilla, which also sponsors Roger Federer.[39]
Personal life
Nicknamed "Coco",[40] Gauff has cited the Williams sisters as her "idols" and "the reason why [she] wanted to pick up a tennis racket."[13] Gauff first met Serena after winning the Little Mo national tournament at age eight; they met again to film a commercial for Delta Airlines and at the Mouratoglou Academy.[9] After their match at Wimbledon in July 2019, Gauff commended Venus when they shook hands at the net. "I was just telling her thank you for everything she's done for the sport. She's been an inspiration for many people. I was just really telling her thank you", Gauff said.[33]
ITF finals
Singles: 1 (0–1)
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Feb 2019 | ITF Surprise, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Sesil Karatantcheva | 7–5, 3–6, 1–6 |
Doubles: 2 (1–1)
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Feb 2019 | ITF Midland, United States | 100,000 | Hard (i) | Ann Li | Olga Govortsova Valeria Savinykh |
4–6, 0–6 |
Win | 1–1 | Feb 2019 | ITF Surprise, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Paige Hourigan | Usue Maitane Arconada Emina Bektas |
6–3, 4–6, [14–12] |
Singles performance timeline
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Current through the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | SR | W–L | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments | |||||
Australian Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
French Open | A | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
Wimbledon | A | 4R | 0 / 1 | 3–1 | 75% |
US Open | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0 / 1 | 3–1 | 75% |
Premier Mandatory tournaments | |||||
Indian Wells Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
Miami Open | A | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% |
Madrid Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
China Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
Premier 5 tournaments | |||||
Dubai / Qatar Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
Italian Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
Canadian Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
Cincinnati Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
Wuhan Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% |
Career statistics* | |||||
Tournaments | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Overall Win–Loss | 0–0 | 4–2 | 4–2 | ||
Win % | – | 67% | 66.67% | ||
Year-end ranking | 875 |
* only WTA Tour main-draw matches (incl. Grand Slams)
Record against top 10 players
Gauff's record against players who have been ranked in the top 10.[41] Statistics correct as of 6 July 2019[update].
Player | Record | Win% | Hard | Clay | Grass | Last Match |
Number 1 ranked players | ||||||
Venus Williams | 1–0 | 100% | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | Won (6–4, 6–4) at 2019 Wimbledon 1R |
Simona Halep | 0–1 | 0% | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | Lost (3–6, 3–6) at 2019 Wimbledon 4R |
Number 9 ranked players | ||||||
Timea Bacsinszky | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Lost (3–6, 6–1, 4–6) at 2019 Indian Wells 125K 1R |
Number 10 ranked players | ||||||
Daria Kasatkina | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | Lost (3–6, 2–6) at 2019 Miami 2R |
Total | 1–3 | 25% | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 2017 | US Open | Hard | Amanda Anisimova | 0–6, 2–6 |
Win | 2018 | French Open | Clay | Caty McNally | 1–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–1) |
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 2018 | US Open | Hard | Caty McNally | Hailey Baptiste Dalayna Hewitt |
6–3, 6–2 |
References
- ^ McBride, Jessica (July 8, 2019). "Candi Gauff, Coco Gauff's Mother: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Cohen, Claire (July 3, 2019). "So who is Wimbledon wunderkind, Cori 'Coco' Gauff?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Rothenberg, Ben. "Cori Gauff: 10 Things to Know About the Newest Tennis Phenom". New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Bembry, Jerry. "Coco Gauff and family following familiar path to greatness". The Undefeated. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Maine, D'Arcy. "Meet Coco Gauff, the 15-year-old who has everyone at Wimbledon talking". ESPN. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ Persak, Mike. "Delray's Coco Gauff, 14, stays grounded with family after winning French Open girls' title". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "Coco Gauff Bio". WTA Tennis. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "Cori Gauff, 13, Has Great Potential And A Greater Goal: Be The Goat". Tennis.com. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Why 12-year-old Cori Gauff hopes she'll be the greatest of all time". ESPN. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ Kane, Portia. "Interview with Coach Corey Gauff". Black Tennis Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation: 2012 - 2003 Archives". www.mcbtennis.org. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Marshall, Ashley. "American teen Gauff impresses in junior Slam debut". US Open. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Butler, Alex. "Cori Gauff, 15, makes historic Wimbledon debut". UPI. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "Cori Gauff, the Revelation of Champ'Seed". Champ'Seed Foundation. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "Gauff Takes First National in Girls' 12s". Tennis Recruiting. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Cori Gauff". ITF World Tennis Tour. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Fourlis Sweeps Girls Titles, Mejia Wins Both Boys Championships at ITF Grade 1 Prince George's County International Hard Courts". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Anisimova Downs Gauff for US Open Girls Championship; Wu Makes History with Boys Title; Danilovic and Kostyuk Claim Girls Doubles Crown". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Americans Gauff and Anisimova Meet for US Open Girls Title; Geller and Wu to Decide Boys Championship; Wu and Hsu Claim Boys Doubles Crown; Stephens Beats Keys for Women's Title". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ "Gauff edges McNally in all-American girls' final in Paris". WTA Tennis. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "June Aces; Gauff, Nakashima Win Grade 1 Roehampton Titles; Nanda, Mayo and Stearns Qualify for Wimbledon Junior Championships; McDonald and Isner into Wimbledon's Second Week". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Kodat, Vallabhaneni, Bicknell and Wiersholm Win ITF Junior Circuit Titles; Gauff Moves to Top Spot in ITF Junior Rankings; Altamirano, Pegula Take Early Lead in US Open Wild Card Race; Liu, Aragone Qualify for WTA and ATP Events". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Seyboth Wild and Wang Make History at US Open Junior Championships; McNally and Gauff Capture Girls Doubles Title". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "US Girls Win Second Straight Junior Fed Cup Title, Spain Claims Junior Davis Cup; Muhammad and Mmoh Capture Titles in Templeton and Tiburon". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Gauff Comeback Ends with Another Orange Bowl Title; Finland's Virtanen Makes History with Victory over Khan". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Burel and Tseng Named 2018 ITF World Junior Champions; Cressy Wins Tallahassee Futures; Racquet Club of Memphis, Site of USTA Girls Clay Courts, to Close". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ "Cori Gauff". ITF World Tennis Tour. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "McNally Upsets Top Seed Peterson to Reach Midland $100K Final; Cressy Advances to Cleveland Challenger Final; Forbes Wins Grade 1 in Ecuador". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Lewis, Colette. "Wake Forest, Ohio State Advance to Men's D-I ITA Team Indoor Final; Redlicki Wins Tucson Title, Gauff Comes Up Short in Surprise; Opelka Captures New York Open". ZooTennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Miami Open: Gauff 'controls the controllables,' marvels in first WTA win". WTA Tennis. March 21, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Kane, David. "'I remember every match' - Kasatkina reignites Venus rivalry in Miami after tough 2019". WTA Tennis. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ "American Cori 'Coco' Gauff becomes youngest Wimbledon qualifier in Open Era history". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Clarey, Christopher. "Cori Gauff, 15, Seizes Her Moment, Upsetting Venus Williams at Wimbledon". New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Tignor, Steve. "Coco Gauff is the youngest at Wimbledon, but she plays a grown-up game". Tennis.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ "'It's pretty surreal how life changes': Gauff halts Hercog, sets Halep battle at Wimbledon". WTA Tennis. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Ingle, Sean (July 8, 2019). "The Coco bubble pops at Wimbledon as Simona Halep ousts Cori Gauff". The Guardian. London. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- ^ "Wimbledon 2019: High hopes for Coco Gauff after astonishing Wimbledon run". July 8, 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Tennis Racquet Reviews | Tennis String Reviews | ATP & WTA Tennis Racquets & Strings List". TennisThis.com.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b "Tennis prodigy, 14, signs multi-year sponsor deal". CNN. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Cambers, Simon (June 30, 2019). "Prodigy Cori Gauff, 15, ready to make her Wimbledon mark". The Guardian.
- ^ "Head to Head". WTA. Retrieved July 5, 2019.