Cori “Coco” Gauff upset her idol Venus Williams in two sets, 6-4, 6-4, on Court 1 Monday at Wimbledon. In tears, the 15-year-old Gauff wasted little time before meeting Williams, 39, at mid-court for a handshake.
Gauff became the youngest player to win at Wimbledon since Jennifer Capriati did it at age 14 in 1991 — and accomplished it by beating her idol and five-time champion Williams, who only happens to be one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Then came the meeting at the net.
“She [Venus Williams] said congratulations,” Gauff said, via Wimbledon’s Twitter account. “I told her, ‘Thank you for everything that you did. I wouldn’t be here without you.’ I always wanted to tell her that.”
Gauff later applauded while Williams departed from the court. It was a classy move after a dominant win in Gauff’s first grand slam match.
“They’re the reason why I wanted to pick up a tennis racket,” Gauff said of Venus and her younger sister, Serena. “And I met them both, and they’re both super kind people, and I’m just super happy and thankful that they chose to play tennis.”
It now seems Gauff is on track to become an inspiration to the next generation of aspiring tennis players.
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