Coco Gauff - The Rising Star

TENNIS

ARCHETYPE: THE RISING STAR

Day 49/135

Athletic Accomplishments

Cori “Coco” Gauff is only 17 years old and already one of the most exciting players in tennis. She was born in 2004. After 9/11. She can’t even vote yet. And yet, Gauff is already a leading voice for the voiceless and an absolute star on the tennis circuit.

While still very young, Gauff was an obvious and natural multi-sport athlete. But at age 7, she chose tennis over everything because she loved the individual focus of it. And being on a team, mehhh, not so much for Coco.

At age 14, in 2018, Gauff went pro.

In 2019, things really escalated. Gauff caught everyone’s attention at Wimbledon in 2019, when she defeated Venus Williams—one of her heroes—in the opening round of the tournament. She continued to make a name for herself, advancing to the fourth round of the event and attracting big attention, viewership, and ratings from an American audience that remains totally enamored with Coco.

The 15 year-old Gauff had started 2019 ranked 686th in women’s singles before playing in the French Open and became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon. By the end of the year, Gauff had played in three Grand Slams, won her first WTA title, and cracked the Top 50—the youngest player to be ranked in the Top 100 by the WTA.

Gauff hasn’t yet won a Grand Slam, but it feels imminent. It feels certain. It feels like a foregone conclusion.

Character Archetype: The Rising Star

Flashback to the opening round of Wimbledon in 2019 where we first met Coco Gauff. Here was this amazing 15 year-old Black girl, playing against one of her idols, and winning on a world stage. In so many ways, this was a seminal moment, not just for Gauff, not just for Venus. For the entire world of tennis.

“Serena Williams has always been my idol... and Venus. They are the reason why I wanted to pick up a tennis racquet." Representation matters.

For decades, tennis had been almost exclusively white. But for the entirety of Gauff’s life, Black women—Venus and Serena Williams, and now Naomi Osaka—have been the top of the sport. What a powerful sea change.

And now, Gauff doesn’t have to be the first. Being a Black tennis player isn't a novelty, it's reality. She can just be herself, which includes lending her voice to important causes like racial justice, where she has already an outspoken, mature, and strong advocate. She’s just 17 years old. She can’t even vote yet.

In tennis and beyond, Gauff is sure to change the game.